A Tale Twice Told
by Marishaten
Summary: Companion fic to The Thorn Flower. Same story, from Inuyasha's perspective. Co-written with ananova, the brain behind the effort.
1. A Man of Few Worries

Inuyasha Taishou was a man of few worries. A scion of the noble house of Taishou, he had had a happy, if somewhat restrictive childhood – owing to an overprotective stepmother and an authoritative half-brother. His own parents had died in a car crash many years ago.

Later when he had grown up, he had come to know about certain things – his parents had been murdered by his father's political opponent, his family had been on the brink of insolvency, his stepmother had to face many hardships to bring her sons up. He felt anger towards the person responsible for the tragedies – the person who went by the name of Ryuukossei, but his anger had neither the vehemence nor the intensity that his brother Sesshoumaru harboured in his heart. Inuyasha sometimes felt almost scared of his brother's obsession with revenge and desire for restoration of the Taishou family honour.

That being the case, he was rather surprised when Lady Taishou had asked him to campaign for the upcoming elections – he always assumed Sesshoumaru to be the obvious choice. But his brother had remained adamant – he would only lend his support from behind the scenes. And so the duty of fulfilling Father's dreams fell on the inexperienced shoulders of the younger Taishou.

At first he had been petrified of it. But soon he realized he could easily connect with the crowd. His frank and honest statements created as much controversy as they were appreciated by the people. Inuyasha wanted to revive his father's vision of governance emphasizing fairness and justice for all, and bring the country out of the economic slump it had entered into, thanks to corruption at the highest levels and rampant favouritism.

He had a few plans of his own as well. He wanted to introduce greater maternity benefits, more scholarships for students and more subsidies for research in the field of agriculture. He wanted a country that could weave its own clothes and produce its own rice and wine. A country that-

A discreet cough from Myouga brought him down from his fantasies. Myouga was an old family friend, and Inuyasha's current mentor.

"Daydreaming again, Inuyasha-sama?" the old man asked.

"Keh!"

"As I was saying – and you were obviously not listening – I think it would be a good idea to join hands with Kouga. He has become something of a spokesperson for the aborigines and his support would mean a lot for us."

"Alright, ask someone to send me his portfolio. Is tomorrow's speech ready? I'd like to have a look at it before going to bed. Oh and I'm having this feeling that Ryuukossei has set a spy inside this house-"

Myouga nudged him into silence. Inuyasha looked up to see a woman sitting on the couch opposite to Mother. _Oh shit! Sesshoumaru was going to exhibit his girlfriend tonight!_

Myouga had already gone ahead to greet her: ""You must be Kagome-sama! The master keeps talking about you all the time."

Inuyasha snorted. Myouga was so pathetic when it came to lying. Whoever had heard Sesshoumaru talk about _anything_ all the time? He turned his attention to Kagome Higurashi – the girl who had captured his brother's heart eight years ago. What had he seen in her? She wasn't exceptionally beautiful…hell, even Kikyou was prettier than her…but where she lacked in physical charm she made up in class and dignity. And if you looked closely she _did_ have a withdrawn, hidden- uh oh!

She had caught him staring at her. Right on cue, Myouga piped in.

"Inuyasha-sama, say hello to your brother's friend."

Like he was a three year old who needed to be taught manners.

He came forward and awkwardly jerked his head. She smiled back.

"I don't know how the boy will survive in politics," Lady Taishou spoke up, "He can hardly speak to a girl."

Inuyasha found himself reddening. _Really, Mother has the most atrocious sense of humour!_ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sesshoumaru giving him a commiserating glance. _So he has also been on the receiving end of one of her barbs lately._

He was inwardly glad when Myouga had mentioned dinner.

Leaving room for the lovebirds to sit across each other, he took the chair next to Lady Taishou. She was asking him about the elections, and he couldn't wait to give her the lowdown on it. It was quite a successful run so far; he was targeting colleges. He always felt at home among students and people of his own age. In fact, he informed with a hint of pride in his voice, he was becoming something of a youth icon among them.

"Great, let's give Ryuukossei a few sleepless nights over it."

The name of the Prime Minister never failed to ruin his mood.

"Keh! He's a mean old dragon if there ever was one. Rest assured he won't be sitting quiet. If he could do away with Oyaji at the height of his power-"

The girl dropped her spoon. Three pairs of eyes glared at Inuyasha.

"What?" he could not understand the reason for their secrecy, "She's going to be family now, isn't she? What's the need of further charade?"

Now she had turned pink in embarrassment. _Really, did she have a clue about anything that was going on in this house?_ It was so typical of Sesshoumaru to keep tight-lipped about even such a special announcement. Last night he had distinctly heard Lady Taishou consent to the match. If it was him, by now he'd have shouted out from the rooftops, announcing his engagement to the world. _But it's not your engagement so shut up_, a voice said in his head.

"I'm sorry, Kagome dear, that you had to find it out in this way from my outspoken son," Lady Taishou slapped Inuyasha lightly on his shoulder, "But it is true. We approve you for Sesshoumaru. Tomorrow I shall go and have a talk with your grandfather."

_Talk?_ What was there to talk about? Just slip on the ring and be done with it. Geez! What pretension! But at last everything was out in the open.

Inuyasha hated secrets more than he hated Ryuukossei.

The Higurashi girl was smiling with a somewhat idiotic expression on her face. _That's genuine happiness_, the persistent voice in his head spoke again. Even Sesshoumaru had a half-hearted glowish sort of thing on his face.

"Way to go, big bro!" Inuyasha teased, "Who knew you had it in you to marry a real woman. I mean for the longest time I thought Kagome was your imaginary girlfriend."

"Pathetic!" Sesshoumaru replied, although he didn't clarify exactly who was pathetic.

"Looks like we'll have to cancel our order for the 'bot, Mother," Inuyasha snickered, "unless Kagome here is one, in which case she looks surprisingly real."

"Would you stop your idiocy, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru objected, but it was more out of habit than any real annoyance.

"Oi Kagome," he turned his attention on the poor girl who still looked kind of dazed, "how are you going to tolerate this guy for the rest of your life? As you can see, he's capable of only two expressions – a glowing simmer and a simmering glow."

Lady Taishou laughed. Myouga also joined in the merriment. It was a long time since such a happy announcement had been made inside the Taishou mansion. The rest of the dinner went by in a whiz; and then Sesshoumaru went to drop off his newly acquired fiancée and Inuyasha went to his study to finalize his speech. Life was good!

As has been said, Inuyasha Taishou was a man of few worries.


	2. A Man of Great Worries

It was an ordinary day. The weather was mediocre; the traffic was moderate; when Inuyasha reached the venue, the crowd had been exactly how he had hoped them to be. They cheered and applauded in all the right places and listened attentively to what he had to say. The speech was a success. On his way back he stopped at his usual bakery shop and bought his favourite pastry, which he ate in the backseat of his car while listening to Nirvana. He seldom had a more ordinary day in his life.

He got the first hint of the impending storm upon entering his home. There was a queer aura of suspense, a cloud of unease hanging in the air that he couldn't quite figure. A troubled-looking Myouga took him by the arm and led him into the conference room. He remained strangely reticent about his reason for doing so.

Lady Taishou was sitting in there, looking pale and distraught. Sesshoumaru was standing behind a floor lamp, like a silent spirit. On seeing Inuyasha, the former sprang up from her chair.

"Inuyasha, good. Perhaps you can knock some sense into your foolish brother's head!"

Inuyasha blinked. _What was going on?_

Myouga cleared his throat.

"Inuyasha-sama, your mother had gone to the Higurashi residence to discuss the marriage between your brother and Kagome-sama. Higurashi-sama, however, wants the marriage to take place between Kagome-sama and _yourself_. Additionally, he has offered to fund your election expenses. But only if the marriage takes place as he suggested."

Inuyasha laughed. Clearly senescence had eroded the old man's ability to think!

"Carrying a joke a bit too far, eh Myouga?"

"Your brother has decided to accept the offer."

His laughter stopped immediately. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut. It just couldn't be! _His brother had done what?_

"Sesshoumaru has agreed for Kagome to be married to _me_?"

"That is the case."

"But that's utter bullshit!"

"That is what I've been trying to say, though not in those words," Lady Taishou said, a chastising look upon her face at his language, "but the silly boy just wouldn't listen. You can't give up on your love so easily."

"There is no need for all of this drama," Sesshoumaru spoke up as he finally stirred from his corner. "My decision is final, Mother. Please inform Mr. Higurashi that we agree to his deal."

"_Deal?_" Inuyasha yelled, "That is what a marriage means to you? Just a deal? A bride in exchange for money and connections? Is that why you were going around with her in the first place?"

"I am not answerable to you when it comes to my personal life."

"Personal life? Did you hear that, Mother?" Inuyasha turned to Lady Taishou, "We've shared a room at one time, shared jokes, shared secrets, shared _memories_! And now he has a _personal life_?"

"Grow up, Inuyasha. It was all a long time ago."

"Ok, you have a personal life – I'll grant you that. But when the fall-out of it threatens to disrupt _my_ personal life, I think I have every right to demand an explanation."

"We need the money to cover our election expenses. It will give us a new lease on life. It's too good an offer to refuse."

"Even if it means selling your brother to the Higurashi clan?"

"You'd be lucky to marry a girl like Kagome."

"Well, what about _her_ feelings in all this? Has she agreed to the _deal_?"

"Leave that to me. You needn't worry about it."

Inuyasha drew in his breath sharply. Lady Taishou shook her head. Even Myouga shuffled his feet.

"_You'll_ ask her to marry me? And live in the same house with you? Be in the presence of your obnoxious self everyday and still not be married to you? Wish you a good night every night and then come to share my bed? Are you even _human_?"

The corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth curved up slightly in a smile laced with irony.

"You see Mother, it won't be so difficult after all. He cares for her already."

Inuyasha was livid with anger. How dare he insinuate that he, Inuyasha, would covet any girl his brother wished to marry?

"You know that's not true," Inuyasha bellowed, "You know I'd never betray you like that!"

"Prove it!" Sesshoumaru challenged, "Prove your allegiance to your brother by doing as I say."

There was a knock on the door. The butler peeped from it.

"Kagome-sama wishes to see Lord Taishou."

"I shall be with her in a minute."

The butler respectfully withdrew his head.

"Go, break her heart and show her what a cad you are," Inuyasha remarked, his face set in an angry scowl as he regarded his brother.

"Mother, please call Higurashi-sama and convey your acceptance," Sesshoumaru remained as calm as ice, "Inuyasha, go give your measurements for the tux. The marriage _is_ going to happen, whether you like it or not."

Kagome's voice rang out angrily in the corridor. Sesshoumaru opened the door and poked his head out, and then turned to the assembled party.

"Mother, please prepare Inuyasha for the wedding while I go speak with Kagome."

"I want to speak to Kagome," Inuyasha demanded.

"You shall have your entire life to do so. After the wedding," Sesshoumaru responded, before he exited the room.

Left behind, the three of them looked at each other, dumbfounded. Lady Taishou was the first to speak.

"Inuyasha, you know how eager your brother is for us to win. If he is ready to give up his love for it-"

"This is wrong, Mother. This is just wrong. But you can make that phone call to Higurashi-sama. It'll be of no use in the end. I'm sure Kagome will _never_ agree to marry me."

Nodding, Lady Taishou walked out of the room slowly. Myouga followed suit. Inuyasha plopped down into a chair and stared vacantly out the window.

At that very moment, there wasn't a man with greater worries than him.


	3. A Man of Constant Worries

A Man of Constant Worries

It was touted as the fairy tale wedding of the decade – the union between a former political bastion and the largest business empire of the country. The media was going into overdrive trying to capture every aspect of it – from the dresses to the venue and the décor. The Higurashis had wanted a western style wedding, so it was going to take place in the cathedral. The Taishous were overjoyed as this was the first happy major occasion in the family after a long line of tragedies. Everybody waited with bated breath to see how the Taishou-Higurashi merger would go.

Everybody except the bride and the groom, that is.

Inuyasha had many grandiose plans about his own wedding. He was brought up with traditional beliefs – a marriage happened only once in a lifetime and was a serious commitment, not to be taken lightly. He always imagined marrying someone he loved – at one time the face belonged to Kikyou – after they broke up, it was a blur to him.

But never in his wildest imagination had that face belonged to Kagome Higurashi.

Everything about the wedding was making him nervous. He was uncomfortable wearing the tuxedo – it was too stiff and formal for him. He was uncomfortable being inside the cathedral – he had always wanted an al fresco ceremony keeping in line with their family tradition. He was uncomfortable standing next to his brother, who was his 'best man', and who was posing for the cameras with the biggest fake smile he had ever seen. He was decidedly uncomfortable when he saw Kagome walking down the aisle looking utterly miserable. And he was mortified at the prospect of standing in front of the priest and God and lying through his teeth. This was definitely not the kind of marriage he had in mind, neither was Kagome the kind of bride he wished to wed. '_The whole thing is nothing but a fucking nightmare', _he thought mirthlessly, '_one from which there will be no waking up. Ever.'_

"Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to love, honour and cherish her, through sickness and in health, through times of happiness and travail, until death do you part?"

_'Like I have a choice…'_

"Yes."

"Place this ring upon her finger and repeat after me – with this ring, I thee wed, and forever pledge my devotion."

_Forever…did he have the courage to face forever with her? Honour her he will, but would he be able to love and cherish her? Support her through thick and thin? Was she the woman he would like to be buried beside?_ He did not know the answer to any of these questions. But it was not in his nature to deliberately make a false promise. If he had promised her forever, well then he'd just have to find a way to deliver it.

He had hardly noticed when Kagome had mumbled her way through her vows and had placed the ring upon his finger.

"Please join your hands."

As Inuyasha wrapped his fingers around Kagome's hand he felt, for the first time, truly bound to the woman standing beside him – the sensation of gold touching gold – of vow touching vow, the perfect circle, the beginning without an end. They were two souls joined together in holy matrimony.

"You may now kiss the bride."

He stooped to obey. She flinched once.

Just like that, the feeling, the connection, was gone.

He barely brushed his cold lips against hers before he stood back, scowling. All of the guests applauded. Higurashi-sama, no, it was Jii-chan now, came forward to congratulate the couple.

_'The old goat seems awfully pleased to ruin his own granddaughter's life_,' Inuyasha thought darkly. '_I guess my ass of a brother should've been born as his grandson rather than the ice princess.'_

He opened his mouth to give vent to some of the thoughts that were swirling in his head. But out of the corner of his eye he caught Lady Taishou indicating him to be quiet.

"Thank you, Jii-chan, and rest assured that I'll always try to keep her happy," was what he said instead.

"I know you will, grandson-in-law," the old man said blithely.

_'What an idiot…'_

The gates of the cathedral opened and the party emerged. Sesshoumaru went ahead with a smile.

"Introducing for the first time, Mrs. and Mr. Inuyasha Taishou!"

The crowd cheered; the cameras flashed; the media gushed about how happy the newly-weds looked; the whole farce was irritating Inuyasha beyond words.

More meaningless revelry continued at the venue of the buffet. They continued to rile him to no end. Things came to a head when Kagome refused to dance with her new husband, and an upset Inuyasha squatted on a chair staring moodily into his glass of wine. Lady Taishou joined him.

"I can understand you being upset, dear," she said, "none of us had originally envisaged things to take such a turn. But now the situation has become irreversible. What is done is done so can you not try to make it a little easier on everyone?"

"Keh! Ask the ice princess, not me. _She's_ the one who has a problem with everything. I fail to understand why she agreed to the wedding in the first place if her whole being is repulsed by the idea."

"Women are more emotional. They take longer to adjust. But take one thing from me, Inuyasha, the day she decides to switch her devotion from your brother to you, and that day will come, you will find not just the perfect wife but also a friend for life."

Inuyasha shook his head. "You are wrong if you think I need her love or her friendship. She can stay devoted to Sesshoumaru all her life for all I care. I just want her to behave…especially in public. That's all I expect from this marriage."

"You are thinking that way now, but soon you will find that you have started to care more than you will care to admit."

"Don't depend on it," Inuyasha grumbled.

Lady Taishou sighed. "Please, give the girl a chance. She is having as difficult a time as you in this situation, if not more so. Try to be considerate of her feelings as you start your new life together. Perhaps you can take the time you will have alone to get to know her."

Inuyasha inwardly scoffed at the idea that Kagome was also having a difficult time. If that was the case, then **why** had she agreed to the wedding in the first place? He frowned when his step-mother mentioned time alone. But before he could ask what she meant he saw that Sesshoumaru was coming their way, his arm around Kagome in an ostensibly brotherly fashion.

"I hear that you have left your bride alone to sit with Mother?" he flashed his pearly white. "That won't do, little brother. Not when you haven't even had your first dance with her."

Cursing, Inuyasha rose from the table and took Kagome's unwilling hands in his. Sesshoumaru waved a bunch of papers below his nose.

"The arrangements have been made for your week-long honeymoon in the mountains. You have just enough time for one dance and then off you go."

As Inuyasha almost dragged a seemingly lifeless Kagome towards the dance floor, he cursed the day he agreed to his brother's hare-brained plan, cursed Jii-chan's mindless ambition that played havoc with the lives of other people, cursed Kagome's stubbornness and wanton refusal to keep appearances in public…

Most of all he cursed the way this campaign, and things in general, were gradually slipping beyond his control.


	4. A Husband

The suitcases had been dumped into the boot of the car; the seats were crammed with white balloons; a leather shoe was duly hung from the license plate; the 'Just Married' sign was put in its proper position – the getaway vehicle was ready for departure.

Kagome's friends helped her out of her wedding gown and into an ivory cocktail dress; her shoes and jewellery were also changed to match her new outfit. Every head turned in her direction as she emerged from the changing room and walked down the lobby towards the car. But her newly acquired husband looked resolutely at an eighteenth century painting hanging from the wall in front of him.

"_Please, give the girl a chance. She is having as difficult a time as you in this situation, if not more so."_

Lady Taishou's words echoed somewhere in the back of Inuyasha's mind, but he was feeling a sharp bitterness, a rankling cynicism about the institution of marriage in general, and Kagome Taishou nee Higurashi in particular, that prevented him from acting upon her advice. With a face like he had accidentally smelled dung, Inuyasha popped the balloons on his side of the car, put the seatbelt on and revved up the engine. A round of goodbyes later, Kagome was seated in the car, and the newly-weds set off to start a new life amid much fanfare.

The drive through the city proved to be a disaster. Whenever a car would pass them by, the driver would honk and smile for them. Inuyasha was obliged to grin, even if it killed him. Kagome, as usual, refused to even drop her frown.

"Didn't your parents teach you to smile when someone smiles at you?" he finally asked her.

Kagome looked the other way: "I'm sorry but they weren't bringing me up to be a part of the Taishou family of fake."

"From the way your grandfather has behaved, I would humbly beg to differ."

Her eyes flashed with anger, the first emotion other than misery to grace her face all day. "So what if he was senile enough to propose such a thing? _You're_ the one who was happily standing at the altar."

"I don't think _you_ had to be bound and draggedto the altar either!" he yelled back.

Kagome looked pained, but chose not to reply. The silence of a graveyard reigned inside the car.

It was only when they were driving up the mountains and the cool, invigorating air hit his face that Inuyasha finally started to relax and take in the view. The road was breathtaking. Fir trees rose from one side of it, their narrowed tops touching the brilliant azure of a cloudless sky. The other side dipped into a deep ravine, a river winding like a satin ribbon, sparkling as the cheerful midday sun shone upon it. Silver peaks formed the setting for the emerald veil of the foothills. Inuyasha put on his favourite song and stepped on the gas. Maybe he was going to enjoy the trip after all.

"Could you please listen to something else?" Kagome complained. "Heavy metal gives me a headache."

_'Could you please keep your mouth shut? I'm trying to pretend you don't exist.'_

He turned off the stereo.

"And could you not go so fast? These roads can be treacherous."

"Afraid of dying, are you?" he smirked. "I thought you were a princess but I guess you're just a frightened little mouse."

"Slow down or I get out of the car," she shouted.

_'That's it!' _He'd had it with her demands. The car screeched to a halt.

"Out!"

"_What?"_

"Get out. Note the address of our villa, and then hitch-hike your way to it. Or return home to Sesshoumaru. Basically, do as you please."

"You can't be serious? We're in the middle of nowhere-"

"I don't care, woman. You _disgust_ me, you know that? I hate your stinking odor! It makes me want to puke!"

"I-I don't," Kagome's voice shook as she fought to keep her composure, "I don't think I deserve-"

"Why did you want to marry my brother?" he thundered, hand slapping against the steering wheel in emphasis. He stilled his movements when Kagome flinched back from him, though nothing could stop his mouth at that moment. "Because of our title? Because of our position? Was that why it was so easy for you to make the switch? Either of us would've done for you, is that it? Well news flash, I'm not nor at any time will I become Lord Taishou, so you can kiss your dream goodbye."

"I don't think I need to even reply to your insinuations." She refused to meet his gaze, staring at her clenched hands instead.

"Then keep your mouth shut. And let me be," Inuyasha practically snarled at her.

He switched on the stereo and cranked up the volume – partly as a token of defiance and partly to drown out the sound of Kagome's sobs. '_Perfect little drama queen, that one.' _He forced himself not to look at her, knowing that he would give in at the sight of tears. He never could stand to see a woman cry. Instead he focused on the road ahead, though the view no longer held any appeal for him.

By the time the couple reached the villa, Kagome was groaning, complaining of a splitting headache and had covered her eyes with a wet handkerchief. There was nothing honeymoon-ey about her as she sat upon the heart-shaped bed strewn with rose petals – on the verge of tears, again, and looking like the perfect picture of misery. Inuyasha started feeling guilty about his contribution to the whole mess.

"_Please, give the girl a chance. She is having as difficult a time as you in this situation, if not more so."_

_'Poor thing_,' Inuyasha sighed, '_how can I stay mad at her when she's looking like that?'_

"You should have a couple of aspirin and go to sleep."

"Shut up."

_'Where is the attitude coming from?' _Inuyasha shook his head. The girl wouldn't let his softer side come to the fore. The moment he felt something akin to a sentiment for her she took good care to ruin it. What was she getting out of being so mean and difficult? Why couldn't she at least try to cooperate? How was she going to spend a lifetime with him if she couldn't spend just a few hours in harmony? Or was she thinking of a divorce? In which case he needed to disabuse her of that notion right away. He ignored the little voice in his head that pointed out he hadn't been very cooperative himself. He at least had tried, she was the one who rejected him out of hand.

Kagome winced again.

With a pitying shake of his head, Inuyasha took a couple of aspirin out of his kit and shoved them under her nose.

"They'll make you feel better."

To his surprise, she slapped his hand away.

"I said I don't need these. Stop bugging me."

He seethed with anger but tried to assume an air of nonchalance. "Suit yourself. But if I hear one more pip from you about how bad your head hurts, I swear I'll throw you out in the snow and shut the door."

She gave him a scandalized look. Okay, maybe he was being too harsh on her. After all, the girl _was_ tired and in pain. He wondered if getting some warm food would improve her mood. He picked up the menu and flipped through the pages.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" he tried to keep his growl down to a civil tone of voice but knew he didn't quite succeed.

"I'm not hungry," Kagome replied petulantly.

_'Okay, that does it.'_ He snapped the booklet shut and threw it on the bed.

"Listen princess, this little arrangement is _as_ inconvenient for me as it is for you okay? I know you had no desire to marry me and trust me, neither did I. But since we _have_ been thrown into this shit together let's at least be civil to each other."

"Don't compare yourself with me, you opportunistic pervert!" she yelled.

Inuyasha blinked. She just called him _what_?

"What are you complaining for?" she was rambling on. "You got your money _and_ a wife. Your family is getting a chance to regain their honour. My grandfather is getting a chance to be even more powerful. I don't see anyone other than me suffering anything in this _little arrangement_."

_Who the hell was she to think he was deriving any pleasure out of this marriage? She must've been out of her mind to think he cared for her even for a second. And in that case, he would also give her as good as he got. _

"Snap out of your martyr complex, alright? I never needed you _or_ your fucking money! I'm not a piece of meat to be sold to the Higurashi princess in exchange for her grandfather's donation! And what kind of a person are you anyway? The other day you walked away so happy 'cos Mother had accepted you for Sesshoumaru. But the moment your grandfather put a price on his donation you gleefully dumped my brother in order to marry me."

Kagome rose from the bed, shaking with anger.

"Whatever happened between your brother and I is none of your business."

_Isn't that what Sesshoumaru had told him the other day? Was he coaching her or were they the two-bodies-one-mind type?_ He also had his reply ready from the other day.

"I think it's very much my business 'cos my life got screwed in the process."

"Well if you must know the truth, it was your respected elder brother, my dear _brother-in-law_, who made me promise to marry you!"

In a second Inuyasha's world turned upside down and back up again. He dropped on to the bed, clutching it for support. '_So he actually said those words to her? He made her promise to do it? All for his ambition…he had sold his girlfriend and his brother to his obsession. That beast…' _He slumped where he sat as the full implication sunk in.

"I see."

Kagome frowned. "You do?"

Inuyasha nodded his head. "It's his desire to restore what Oyaji had started to build. Day by day it's becoming an obsession for him. There are times he sees me more as a vessel for achieving his dream than as his brother. But I didn't know he would go to this length…"

"Well then I'm sorry you are stuck in this marriage with me."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome in alarm. There were tears in her eyes again…this time he understood why. They were the tears of betrayal. He tried to say something to lighten the tension in the room. "Hey don't cry…no crying! I mean, I don't hate you that much!" He inwardly groaned. That hadn't come out right. But he couldn't stand to see a woman in tears. Especially not this one. _'Mother was right, she is suffering as much, no, more than I am.'_

"That's a big relief," her voice was laced with sarcasm.

Inuyasha sighed, and rubbed his temples with his hands. He wanted to say something to make this girl –

_Not 'this girl'_, the voice in his head corrected him, _she's your wife_.

Briefly his thoughts went to the time they had held hands before God, the feeling of their rings touching. He saw the ring upon her finger – the ring with which he had pledged his devotion to her. He thought she would take it off right after the wedding but she was still wearing it – still honouring their commitment. On an impulse, he touched his own ring.

"…_through sickness and in health, through times of happiness and travail, until death do you part…"_

And suddenly he knew what he could do, what he could offer her. He did not know how or even if he would find the strength to carry out what he was going to propose, but at that moment he stopped being a man, and became a husband.

"I know you were forced to be my bride, Kagome. But I won't force you to be my wife. If you want," he squeezed his eyes shut, "_if_ you want you can carry on with my brother like before. The two of you will be staying in the same house. And I'll be gone most of the time for the campaign." His eyes closed, he didn't see the look of embarassment and humiliation that crossed her face as the implication of his words sunk in. The room remained silent after his offer. He swallowed his nervousness before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes to gauge her reaction.

She just stood there, staring at him as if she had never seen him before.

He looked up at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would understand his helplessness. It hurt him to make that proposition but Kagome didn't deserve the pain that their situation was causing her. He would do what he could to ease that pain, give her some form of comfort, no matter what it cost him personally. That was his duty as her husband.

"I'm sorry for ruining your life, Kagome, 'cos I can't ever give you a divorce. We just can't afford the scandal. If you don't like me, you can go around with whoever you fancy but make sure it stays within the walls of the mansion."

Kagome spluttered as she finally found her voice. "D-do you even know what you are talking about?"

Inuyasha paused as he listened to her words. _The idea hadn't even occurred to her? __So she was going to give their marriage a chance?_ The only other option was a lonely life alone. Married but alone. Something he had been having a hard time resigning himself to. _'But maybe I won't have to,'_ he thought as her incredulous reaction to his question stared him in the face. He was at a loss for words, so he groaned instead.

"Actually I haven't got a clue. I never imagined ever being in this situation in my life. I don't know what a husband-by-chance is supposed to say to his wife, who didn't want him in the first place."

He looked at her again, a tad piteously. And then at last he saw her smile. It was not a bright grin, but enough to light up the room. '_She could look very pretty if she smiled like that.' _His heart hammered against his chest. Feeling slightly courageous, he gave a low chuckle as he handed her the menu.

Maybe, just maybe, they could work it out.

The connection lasted only a moment before Kagome turned her eyes away from him to moodily flip through the pages of the menu, the cloud of gloom set firmly back in place on her face. Inuyasha cursed himself for the dreams he had started to weave. He was a fool to have believed Kagome would even try to fall in love with him. Why would she, when in a few days she would go running back into the arms of her one true love?

He scowled again as he walked to the window to stare blankly at the beauty surrounding them. Beauty they would never enjoy. His scowl deepened as he again realized he had been sentenced to a miserable life alone.


	5. A Man in Turmoil

A Man In Turmoil

Inuyasha was almost done with his packing. It was only a day after he had returned from his honeymoon and the whole family was aghast at the idea of him going away so soon – and on an extended tour at that. But he was adamant about it. In fact, he could not wait to get away from his wife as quickly as he could.

The 'honeymoon' had turned out to be as bad as it had promised. Throughout the trip he had tried to keep in mind his stepmother's advice and be considerate towards Kagome, tried to cheer her up and make her laugh. But all of his attempts had fallen flat on their faces. She was perpetually sad and mourned the loss of her former relationship. One night she was crying and calling for Sesshoumaru in her sleep. That was the moment he realized, that no matter how hard he tried, she would never be pleased – because he was not the one she wanted in the first place. That was the moment he had decided to give up trying altogether.

His valet took his luggage away; Inuyasha looked around his room. There was nothing that he had missed. With a satisfied nod, he walked out.

There was a silhouette in the doorway. He looked up to see Kagome's delicate form gracing the heavy, wooden door. Ignoring every instinct that told him to pass her without a word, he stopped to say goodbye.

"Mother will help you settle in. You won't have a hard time here."

She nodded. "I know. You take care…" and then she added, almost in a whisper, "and come back soon."

Tilting her head up, she looked at him. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. It was not love, neither was it indifference. It was, rather, a forlorn and wistful glance, like that of an abandoned waif – like she would be utterly alone in the house without him. His pulse quickened. All of his protective instincts went into overdrive. He wanted to ask her to come away with him, wanted to cancel the trip and stay beside her. Maybe she needed him. His hand almost rose to give her a hug.

"Good luck with the campaign," her hand briefly rested on his arm.

"The luggage is in the car. Are we ready to go, Sir?" his driver was asking.

"Yes, I'm coming."

He wondered if going away was a mistake. Maybe he should have stayed and tried to work things out with her. But now it was too late for that. Commitments had been made, venues had been booked. Not going now would cause a tremendous loss of face for his Party. He coaxed his unwilling feet to budge from the spot, and with a final look at his wife, he was on his way to the airport.

Almost a month later he found himself on the east coast of the country. The campaign had gone well so far. His popularity seemed to have increased since his wedding. He wasn't sure if Jii-chan had something to do with it. Wherever he went people congratulated him on his new marriage and gushed about how good he looked with his wife. He took it all with a wry smile, wincing inwardly at the irony of the situation. By that time both he and Kagome had reverted back to their cold, formal selves with each other. The meeting at the door was history. He had spoken to her a few times on the phone, but each conversation was short and to the point – generally involving him asking after her well-being and her asking after the campaign. Both had assiduously kept away from all personal topics. By that time he knew he had nothing more with her than a few isolated moments. A moment when their hands touched, a moment during their honeymoon, a moment at the door – moments that he wasn't even sure existed outside of his mind. Trying to work on the marriage was like flogging a dead horse now. Attempting to put the whole fiasco out of his mind, he had plunged into his work. And yet those moments continued to linger in the back of his mind, haunting him whenever he had a spare moment.

That day, as he sat down at the desk to write his speech, Inuyasha suddenly toyed with the idea of bringing Kagome on his next trip. _'That way I can cash in on our popularity as a couple,'_ he silently told himself. Of course there would be nothing personal about it. _'We can surely travel together,' _he thought,_ 'but like the parallel banks of a river. We can meet but never unite, like there is a glass wall separating us.'_

A gust of cold wind scattered his papers all over the place. Inuyasha noticed how dark the room had suddenly become. He hurried to the window to pull down the sash, but his hand remained on the panel, his gaze transfixed on the sea. A storm was coming – he could see the light from the fishing boats as they were sailing towards the shore. The trees were swaying in a silent rhythm. The wind was swirling like a mad dervish, raking up fistfuls of golden sand. The sea had taken the steely hue of the sky, foaming and gnashing against the sand bars – as if a long-slumbering beast had awakened from the pages of a dark fantasy. Lightning lanced through the sky, and in a flash _her_ face appeared on his mind. Inuyasha caught his breath. She was looking at him like that again. Again his pulse quickened at the glance. And then the image was gone.

He blinked. Why could she not have ignored him at the doorway altogether? If she would not belong to him, why look at him like that? By now he would have forgotten that the marriage had happened, would have even forgotten her face. But for that glance…

The truth was, he was merely deluding himself. Try as he might, he couldn't drive her away from his thoughts for a single moment. It was not for mere publicity that he wanted to bring her on the next campaign. It was to cure his loneliness, to have the comfort of her presence around him. He needed her love like he needed the very air to breathe. Contrary to what he wanted to believe, he was becoming obsessed with his wife.

Unknown to him, his gypsy woman of the rainbow spirit had cast her spell; radiant like the fire she was, and yet so distant; when she was close to him she was ephemera, a shadow of a dream. The way her eyes touched him had sparked his infatuation for her; the flame of that touch had ignited his breath, his heart cried out in pain but love had consoled his spirit. She touched him in a whisper, with the silence of her eyes, and he was left praying on the cold floor in half-consciousness. He was enchanted by her ways, longed to be entangled in her arms, and he knew not the way to comb out his sanity that only wished to entwine in her desire. His life and death was a new obsession from which there was no respite.

Inuyasha smiled. What were the seven stages of love that the Sufis believe in? Attraction he felt towards her, infatuation as well, and it was proceeding surreptitiously towards love. What waited for him beyond that? Reverence, worship, obsession and death? Hmm, things were getting quite interesting now. The stakes were higher.

He picked up his phone to call his ladylove. It went to the voicemail. Love faltered at its first obstacle. He tried again – remembering King Bruce and the spider. Again the impersonal tone of a beep welcomed his ardent passion. Subsequent attempts also yielded the same result. Inuyasha frowned. This was weird – Kagome was a light sleeper. There's no way she would ignore so many calls unless-

Other images started forming in his mind. Horrible, nasty images involving his woman in the arms of another man – his own brother. He was gone from home, it was late at night, and she evidently wasn't in her room. The conclusion was too obvious to ignore. Not that he had anyone to blame for it. He had offered her this very choice – basically held it out on a platter to her.

The burning, twisting fang of jealousy that lashed and struck at his heart like a cruel serpent surprised Inuyasha with the deadliness of his own venom. What was hiding inside his own heart without his knowledge? Where was this passion for Kagome coming from? This jealousy at her being fondled by another man? This irrational, inconvenient, outrageous feeling of loss as the realization dawned upon him that probably there was no marriage to begin with – just an eyewash, a compromise, a charade meant for the eyes of the public.

The papers that he had been writing his speech on now rolled on the floor, abandoned – the rain pouring through the open window was erasing their contents into mere blue smudges. Suddenly the whole campaign had lost meaning for Inuyasha.

It was with a foul mood and a terrible headache that he woke the following day. He had spent the entire night thrashing around in bed and having crazy nightmares. There was a dull pain in his chest – and for the first time he understood why it was called heartache. He had never felt like this in his whole life – not even when he had broken up with Kikyou. After a shave that caused him to nick his jaw, a cold shower that did nothing to invigorate him, and a breakfast that tasted like ash, he slumped out of the hotel feeling drowned in the blues. He was supposed to meet the children from an orphanage, many of whom were aborigines. It was to connect with the marginalized population – a part of Myouga's campaign strategy. There was a time when Inuyasha was also looking forward to the task – he loved spending time around children. On any other day, he would have enjoyed himself.

He had only gotten out of his car to greet the tots when a group of protesters marched in, hurling abuses against the Taishous and their elitist mentality. The journalists followed closely for a byte. A man, whom Inuyasha could identify as the aborigine leader Kouga, came to the fore.

"For years we aborigines have been neglected by the government because we are neither consumers nor voters," there was a smug confidence on the face of the young upstart that immediately riled Inuyasha, "we are like ghosts who don't even exist. But now our demands will have to be met."

The protesters raised slogans suggesting that the Taishous retire from politics.

"If you will remember, during the time of Inu no Taishou numerous reforms had been planned for the improvement of the backward classes – plans that were shelved by Ryuukossei's government without assigning valid reasons for the same," Inuyasha replied.

There was a moment's silence. Inuyasha wondered what he might have said wrong – the task was a difficult one owing to the fact that his mind was barely working.

"Backward classes?" Kouga hissed, "In what sense are we backward? And what makes you so forward? Because we don't live in mansions and have servants to wash our hands? You call our women whores for sleeping around without the bond of 'holy matrimony' and what do your women do?"

Inuyasha bristled at the insinuation.

"Care to explain that statement?" In his heart he knew what was coming, yet his mind was too numbed to think of an appropriate response.

"Oh just forget your pretence. It's an open secret what goes on inside the Taishou mansion. How two brothers are sharing the same woman."

The seething volcano of Inuyasha's anger burst forth at these words. The anger he felt at his weakness for agreeing to marry his brother's fiancée, the anger he felt at the unnecessary suffering that Kagome was going through because of his brother, the anger that he felt at his helplessness that compelled him to see his wife going to the bed of another man – Kagome hadn't answered his calls…

Before he knew it his hands were upon Kouga's collars. She might not think of him to be worthy of her affection but he would do his duty as a husband. He would defend her honour against the whole wide world.

_Till death us do part…_

"That's my _wife_ you are talking about you bastard! **How dare you?** How dare you talk crap about my wife?"

"You can't treat a politician like this," someone was saying.

"Yes, please answer the question," someone piped in.

"No I won't," Inuyasha growled. "Criticise my capabilities as a politician as much as you desire, I'll stand and answer you. But my wife is off limits."

"So you accept the allegation?" somebody asked.

Inuyasha was ready to batter the man into a paste. He was past all limits of endurance. Burning fury had finally found a vent. His aides were restraining him; suddenly, he gave up the struggle. They took him back into the vehicle. He stared vacantly out of the car.

"_She is having as difficult a time as you in this situation, if not more so."_ Lady Taishou's words echoed in his mind once more.

A sigh escaped him. _'Not any more, Mother. She has made her choice and it will lead her to happiness.'_

It hurt him to think that Kagome could be so blind to his own suffering – that she could just discard him like a rag doll and move on in the pursuit of her own happiness.

But then again, why was he expecting more from her? She might have been his bride but she would never be his wife.


	6. A Man of Integrity

A Man of Integrity

The stage was set. Sesshoumaru was standing at a corner of the room, Lady Taishou was sitting in her chair, Myouga occupied a couch while Kagome stood behind another, a tad defensively. Right on cue, Inuyasha stormed into the room.

"What's the meaning of all this? Why did you call me home right in the middle of the campaign?"

"The campaign is over. You have proved yourself to be unworthy of the position that you are aspiring to achieve," Sesshoumaru informed him coldly.

_What the-_

"Unworthy? How have I been unworthy? This is classic – nothing I ever do is good enough for you! How can you just negate all the hard work I've put into this campaign?"

"Elections are not won by hard work and physical strength. If that were the case, we would have rather put an ox upon the dais. Politics is the game of the _brain_, and it is in that department that you are lacking to the tune of one."

Myouga rose from his couch. "Surely, there is no reason to be sarcastic, Lord Taishou. Inuyasha-sama is inexperienced; there have been aggravating circumstances-"

"And there _will_ be such circumstances in the future. But that does not mean he will go berserk like a brainless, uncouth, trigger-happy maniac."

"How I defend my wife's honour is none of your business."

"_Your wife?_" Sesshoumaru cast a meaningful look at Kagome, who flinched under it. Suddenly Inuyasha was aware of a strange hostility between the two. At least, the hostility was clear from Sesshoumaru's side. Kagome was looking stricken, hunted. He wondered what was going on inside the house. '_Just what happened here while I was away?'_

Unaware of his thoughts, Sesshoumaru continued. "You owe your wife to politics, don't forget that. She was given to you in exchange for winning the election. And since you have taken her _and_ her money, now it is your duty to uphold your side of the deal."

_Why was Sesshoumaru describing his marriage in such cheap terms?_

"I _will_ win the elections, even though I never promised anything like that to her. There, I gave you my word so just butt out of my life and let me be."

"Your word holds no meaning for me unless you can back it with your actions. Are you imagining this campaign to be a child's play, Inuyasha? Day and night we are thinking, planning, working out ways to make the campaign a success. I am doing it, Myouga is doing it – every man in your party is doing it. And then you swagger in like an emperor and dismantle everything, all of our _hard work_," Sesshoumaru sneered, "with your arrogance and your thick-headedness."

Inuyasha was getting very angry. He was in a foul mood to begin with, still fuming over Kouga's insinuations and accusations. Then the imperious way in which Sesshoumaru had called him home in the middle of a campaign trip, allowing him no opportunity to refuse, had made him see red. He had given his word to the people, promised to visit certain organizations, had charted out the rest of the trip and he felt humiliated having to cancel everything and run home like a scared kid. Sesshoumaru…he wondered why he had stayed away from the campaign in the first place if he was going to be so involved with it. He hated his own dwindling independence and his brother's ever-growing high-handedness within the Party. Especially, since their ideas and ideologies had seldom matched. More and more it was beginning to feel like he was simply a figurehead of the Party, holding no real power or authority at all.

Above all, somewhere in his heart, Inuyasha could not forgive Sesshoumaru for coaxing him to marry Kagome and then betraying him by taking her while he was away.

Coming home only to face this abuse proved to be the final straw. He picked up a paperweight and threw it at the window, smashing the glass.

"What part of 'butt out of my life' don't you understand?" he yelled.

Sesshoumaru also looked belligerent. For some reason his patience was also running thin, Inuyasha noticed. He seemed to be on the edge, angry…with either him or Kagome, he wasn't sure which. '_As if it matters.'_ Inuyasha pulled up the sleeves of his shirt.

'_Try coming closer and fucking see what happens Sesshoumaru!'_ He thought, staring down his older brother, his gaze daring him to make a move.

Myouga's small form intervened between the two brothers.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves. You are playing right into Ryuukossei's hands. This is exactly what he wants – to turn brother against brother, to destroy the unity of this clan."

"Tell that to him," Inuyasha growled. "I won't stand and hear anybody talk shit about Kagome."

"Pardon me, Inuyasha-sama," Myouga said, sweat beading his forehead, "but as you know, Caesar's wife has to be above suspicion. And now that Ryuukossei has made public the connection between Lord Taishou and Kagome-sama, tongues will wag. You are aspiring for a public office, Inuyasha-sama. Nothing will remain personal any longer."

Inuyasha paused for a moment to mull over Myouga's words. The last thing he wanted was more trouble for Kagome. He sneaked a clandestine glance at her, and was surprised to see her standing apart from everyone else, almost hiding behind a couch. As if she did not belong to the group – didn't even belong to Sesshoumaru. He began to doubt his own assumption about the other night. _Was there some other reason for her not picking up the phone? Was he too hasty to come to his conclusions? _He uncurled his fists, relaxing his stance slightly. '_But why does she remain by herself?'_ he wondered as he chanced another glance at her lonely form. _'Why not join Mother at least?'_ He made a note to find out what had been happening in his absence. Kagome should not have to act like an unwanted stranger in what was now her own home.

But that was a matter for another time. For now he had to focus on the matter at hand. "Well then tell me a way to freeze the wagging tongues."

"Maybe Kagome should accompany Inuyasha on his next tour," Sesshoumaru suggested.

Inuyasha frowned at him. There was a certain quality to his tone of voice, a snideness that hinted at something more. Just what was he planning? But he saw absolutely no reaction from Kagome at the suggestion. Did that mean she was for the idea? Against it? Or just had absolutely no opinion on the matter? He had been toying with the idea of bringing her on his next tour but only after discussing the matter with her. He felt himself bristling at yet more proof that his life was being taken further out of his control. His anger only grew further with Myouga's reply. _'This is my life they're planning out, damn it! Where's my say in the matter?'_

"I think it is too late for that," Myouga replied. "The public might take it as another façade, another show we have arranged for them. I don't know if it will repair the damage or if they will become a laughing stock of the entire nation. By the way, who is Kagura?"

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Kagura?"

"She has been spotted leaving Ryuukossei's office."

"I had dated her briefly, before meeting Kagome."

Myouga joined the tips of his fingers, lost in thought.

"What new devilry is Ryuukossei planning now?" Inuyasha wondered aloud, his anger subsiding for the moment as he pondered the turn the conversation had taken. He did not like this new fact that had come to light.

"We can assume the general direction he will be taking," Lady Taishou spoke up from her corner chair for the first time since the meeting started. "This woman is likely to make an unpleasant noise about you, Sesshoumaru. There's only one way to drown out noise, and that's by a louder noise."

Myouga looked up, eyeing her carefully. "Do you mean what I think you mean?"

Lady Taishou inclined her head slightly. "The only way to salvage Sesshoumaru's reputation now is by marriage to a nice, respectable girl from a middle class family. Something that should be symbolic of a union of the heart and not a political alliance from any angle whatsoever."

Inuyasha's eyes shot towards Kagome. He knew what he would find there. Sure enough, her face had blanched; her knuckles were white as she gripped the antimacassar of the couch in front of her. Inuyasha could understand her reaction. Barely had the girl time enough to get over the shock of her own marriage to him. Another shock so soon had surely sent her reeling. He hoped Sesshoumaru would refuse, would understand the girl's plight and at least give her some more time to adjust to her new life.

"As you wish, Mother."

All his hopes were dashed by that simple reply. So were hers. Kagome's eyes met his, and for a second, their old connection shimmered again. Then she looked away, a flash of emotion crossing her face. Was it guilt? Was it shame? What was she feeling guilty about? He was perplexed, watching as she ran out of the room. Inuyasha kept looking after her, trying to figure out her strange reaction.

Slowly he became aware of what was going on inside the room again. Lady Taishou and Myouga were debating on who would be a good match for Sesshoumaru on such a short notice. They wanted the girl to be from their own circle, as the bride and the groom would not have any time to get to know each other. Rage swelled inside Inuyasha once again, when he realized the consequence of the wedding.

"Do we need to add another person into this melee?" he laughed cynically. "Already we have a pretty cosy situation going on here. I wonder how many more lives need to be sacrificed at the Taishou family altar before the ambitions of certain people are satisfied."

"Do not speak ill of this family!" Sesshoumaru roared from his corner.

"Oh right," Inuyasha shot back, "we are talking about the great Taishous here. Why don't we all join hands and genuflect, instead? Oi, Jaken," he called the butler, "call Kagome. She should also kneel before the altar. After all, she was Sacrifice No. 1."

"Keep your voice down."

"Oops, I forgot. Things never go out of the walls of this mansion, right? The façade is perfect, dear brother. The ivies on the walls, the gabled arches, the magnificent orchard, the pebbled driveway – all very solid and respectable. No matter if the inside is corroding with despicable lies and abominable hypocrisy, no matter if our hands are stained with the blood of the innocent. So long as the façade is beyond reproach, you will not care."

"It was not I who suggested this wedding."

"But I hardly think you are averse to the idea. At least, if past conduct is taken as an indicator."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I thought I was contesting this election so we could bring Oyaji's dreams into fruition. But I was wrong. This campaign belongs to _you_, Sesshoumaru. It has become a vessel to fulfil your own dreams and ambitions. I'm nothing more than a puppet on a chain. You are the one calling the shots around here."

"And what if I am? What can you do about it?"

"I'll abandon the Party, leave this house and take Kagome with me. Have you even considered how hard it will be for her to live in the same house as your wife? How will your wife, whoever she ends up being, react to Kagome's presence?" His eyes widened as the words left his mouth sounding too close to an accusation of his own. But part of him still wondered about what had happened while he was away, still felt betrayed by his brother, and now they wanted to bring another person into this mess? And part of him, the part that believed something had happened between Sesshoumaru and Kagome, couldn't help but wonder if they would keep carrying on after Sesshoumaru's own marriage, which only increased his fury. His anger was bringing him to the point of saying something he would regret but if things went too much further he didn't think he would be able to stop himself. '_Mouth always did get me into trouble.'_

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed with fury. "Do you remember the comment Kouga made about this family, Inuyasha? Do you want more of that in the future? Do you want the people to point at Kagome and wonder if what was said about us is true? Do you want her to be always haunted, always suspected of sharing time between us, when in your heart you know that she is as pure as the driven snow? Is that what you really want?"

"Of course not! Wh-who'd be that selfish?" Inuyasha stuttered out. Was Sesshoumaru denying the allegation? His words about Kagome's purity seemed to imply it. He felt himself at something of a loss as his hasty conclusions crumbled around him. '_But if that's the case,'_ he wondered, '_then why did she look guilty?'_ Still, true or not, he could not allow Kagome to continue to be haunted by such accusations. He had already sworn that he would not stand and listen to them, that he would defend her honour. So how could he cast his own?

Sesshoumaru was looking at him with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. He obviously knew he was playing his cards right.

"Father's dreams are important for me too, Inuyasha. Please realize that you and I are on the same team. So just let me help you. In return, I promise I shall take my marriage vows seriously. I shall not let an innocent person suffer for my obsession."

A part of Inuyasha's mind knew that he was being subtly manipulated. But the situation was such that he didn't really have a choice but to agree with his brother. He desperately hoped against hope that Sesshoumaru would keep his promise and not ruin the life of Sacrifice No. 2.

"Do as you please."

He walked out of the room.

That night he saw Kagome taking great pains to avoid talking to him. He suspected the reason to be the bombshell Lady Taishou had dropped on her head earlier. She looked quite forlorn and abandoned, as she leaned against the balcony, her dark hair floating in the cold night air. _'Damn, she'll catch a cold in that flimsy night gown,'_ he thought with some concern.

He waited in the hallway, expecting Sesshoumaru to go to her and speak a few words of endearment. Maybe he would take her hand in his and steer her to her bedroom before bidding her a good night. But he waited in vain. A discreet inquiry to the butler led to the discovery that his brother had gone out for the night, to meet an old acquaintance. Cursing inwardly, he made his way to the balcony.

When Kagome saw him, she gave him a miserable, watery smile.

"I'm sorry your campaign had to be cut short."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Say Kagome, have you seen our Weapon Room yet?" He wanted a quick change of topic to divert her mind.

Kagome shook her head.

"What? Nobody has taken you there yet? What a shame! Come here."

He put his arm around her, hiding a frown at how cold her skin felt, and guided her half-willing steps to the armoury.

"It's just that we were married under crappy circumstances, otherwise it's a ritual for every new bride to visit this room and be bored to death by hearing our family history."

Kagome gave him a polite smile that failed to reach her eyes. Inuyasha pretended not to notice.

"You see this sword, Kagome?" He pulled out the article in question. "It is very special. My great-grandfather, who went mad at the age of forty – and whose genes my respected brother has inherited – had gone into the forest once to kill a tiger, armed with naught but this sword."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Could he kill the tiger?"

"Unfortunately, no. Before he could go too far, a bolt of lightning struck the sword and it plunged itself into his heart. Even now the blade can attract iron. It's quite a magnetic sword, you see."

He brought the sword close to a dagger and the latter clung to it with a loud clang.

"Wow," Kagome drew in her breath. She looked almost like a child watching a cool magic trick.

A please look crossing his face as he saw that his words were succeeding in distracting her, Inuyasha put the sword back in its sheath and picked up a rifle.

"This was the Winchester with which my grandfather used to hunt. He had excellent aim, we've been told, but a hunting accident had maimed his right arm, curbing his ability to hold a rifle. Later on he hired a man called Bokusenou to do all his hunting for him. Bokusenou would kill tigers and deer and leopards and bison by the dozens, while my grandfather took all of the credit for them. His pride was too great for him to admit to his shortcoming."

"Has your brother inherited those genes as well?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

Laughing, Inuyasha wagged a finger in front of her. He was very pleased to see that his distraction was working.

"Time will tell, Kagome, time will tell."

He pointed at a sleek, black rifle hanging from the wall. "That's an original Ferguson, 1782. In today's time, it would cost a fortune." He marched over to the wall and affectionately caressed the polished, ebon surface.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Kagome asked. She was leaning forward in excitement.

Inuyasha smirked. What a chance to show off!

"Of course I do, I've won three championships!" His smile faltered a little. "But I don't like to hunt. Not even ducks. It's such a meaningless sport – so many bright lives gone just for a few hours' entertainment. There is no real bravery in hunting. Just that you have a gun, and the animal doesn't."

"You seem to care a lot about animals." A shy smile crossed her face as she tilted her head to glance thoughtfully at him.

_He did. That was the reason he and Kikyou were first attracted to each other. She was passionate about saving the environment. _He shook those thoughts off to focus on the woman standing in front of him. "I just don't think it's right to hunt for sport. Hunting for food, for survival is one thing." He paused as their eyes met before Kagome looked away, a shadow briefly crossing over her face. She yawned suddenly.

"Excuse me," she blushed. Her eyes widened as she took in the time. "Wow, where did the time go? I didn't realize it was so late." Another yawn punctuated her statement. "I should go to bed."

_'Late? It's not even 9.'_ Still, it had been a long day with some emotionally draining events. She could probably use the sleep.

Inuyasha nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, let's go."

His wife shifted uncomfortably. "You don't have to look out for me all the time, you see. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

"I know," he said bracingly, "just don't lose sleep over the dumb ass okay? Last winter I said it's chilly outside and he ran to get a bowl."

Kagome shook her head and smiled. "That joke is really old, Inuyasha."

"Got you to smile, didn't it?"

Snorting, Kagome started walking towards their room. Inuyasha followed.

"If he was dumb enough to walk away from you, be smart enough to let him go."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Now you are just quoting stuff off the internet."

"You gotta love a bad man once to appreciate the good one," he bowed.

"Would you quit it already?"

He hung his head for a moment before perking up again.

"Hey Kagome!"

"What?"

"Knock, knock."

"Shut up."


	7. A Man of Habit

A Man of Habit

Inuyasha was sipping his coffee and scanning the evening edition of the newspaper, while Myouga was reading out the statement they were going to release to the Press regarding Sesshoumaru's impending marriage. He rolled his eyes, did it have to sound so pretentious and self-important?

Myouga must have seen the eye movement, or more likely he just knew him well enough, for he lowered the paper he had been reading from to fix him with a stern look. "Really Inuyasha-sama, this is important! Things must be worded just right when we present the news to the fourth estate!"

"Feh, the papers are going to lap it up however it's worded. No need to be so pretentious about it, we're doing enough pretending as it is."

Myouga sighed, resisting the urge to tear out what little hair he had left. "If we hope to get the press on our side then we must be careful with how we word our announcement. If you hope to win this election then you must learn these things." He kept his stare fixed on Inuyasha until the young man set aside his paper and gave him his full attention. "Good. Now, back to your brother's impending marriage. The girl is Rin, the daughter of a kindergarten teacher and a data processor. She was a former student of Lord Taishou's, back when she was studying for her Master's. They lost touch after she graduated, but in the past week the Lord has resumed contact with her," Myouga coughed here, "resulting in a whirlwind romance and a sudden proposal for marriage."

Inuyasha snorted. So far he had deliberately kept himself away from the entire wedding fiasco. But the day had come for him and Kagome to meet the bride-to-be, so he thought a little background information wouldn't hurt. Of course, he hadn't expected to be roped into working on the press release when he asked Myouga what he knew about the girl.

Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru was reluctant to bring Rin to the mansion as was their family tradition, preferring for the meeting to take place in their pool house. Though Inuyasha supposed he couldn't blame his brother for that, not with what had happened after the last time he brought his intended to the mansion.

Finishing his coffee, Inuyasha got up and stretched, and then looked thoughtfully at his blazers. He was thinking of sporting a more casual look, when he remembered that his style should match with his wife's.

"Oi, Kagome!" he hollered, "what are you wearing to the poolside?"

He wondered what she was doing in the bathroom for so long. Surely she would have finished bathing a long time ago. The door opened and Kagome emerged a tad apologetically. He noticed that her nose was red, and so were the rims of her eyes.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but I have the most terrible headache-"

Inuyasha could barely suppress his smile. Wasn't that the oldest fake excuse in the world? _'So that's how much you want to avoid meeting your rival in love, eh?'_

"That sucks! You better go lie down," he said. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable by calling her bluff. After making a few solicitous remarks about whether she would be fine by herself ("Of course I will!") and whether she would excuse his going alone ("Don't you worry about it!") he tucked her in, placed a couple aspirin and a glass of water on the table beside the bed and closed the door behind him.

He was still wondering about Kagome's uncharacteristically childish behaviour when he sat down across the table from Sesshoumaru and Rin. The air was cool and crisp and the lights were subdued in the pool house, giving the water a mysterious, blue tinge. The scent of eucalyptus floated in the air. On any other day, Inuyasha would have felt instantly relaxed. But his present company was too weird for comfort.

The first thing that he had noticed about the girl, Rin, was an aura of genuine happiness. She was a wisp of a girl, with a pretty, round face and warm, brown eyes that shone with adulation when she looked at his older brother, who, when compared to her vivaciousness, looked rather like an ice sculpture. He forced a smile as he greeted her.

"So, you must be the girl who's finally managed to melt my brother's heart," he said, trying not to wince as the words left his mouth sounding too close to how he had greeted Kagome back when she was Sesshoumaru's intended bride. He hoped he didn't sound as sarcastic as he felt. "How did he manage to land someone as delightful as you?" He turned on the charm to cover his near slip-up.

"Oh I was always in awe of Sesshoumaru-sensei," Rin gushed in response, a light blush covering her cheeks. "He used to be so silent back then, hardly spoke a word outside of his lecture! We used to be deadly afraid even to ask a question. I must say, when I spoke to him after an entire year I was surprised to learn that he could talk so much!"

Inuyasha almost choked on his beer. _Sesshoumaru? Talk? What was his brother trying to pull?_

"Really?" he said aloud, the trace of a sneer managing to work its way into his tone.

"Not everyone can bring out that side of me," Sesshoumaru smiled, or rather bared his teeth, before planting a kiss upon Rin's waiting lips.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. At least Sesshoumaru was trying to give his act the semblance of a real courtship. He did not expect the ambitious Lord to show even this much consideration for the girl's feelings.

"I keep asking him, there are so many pretty girls out there," Rin said shyly, "why did you choose me to be your wife? I still can't believe my luck!"

"I told you that you always had a special place in my heart," Sesshoumaru put his arm around Rin's shoulder to pull her close to him, "ever since the very first day that that you walked into my classroom."

"It's so mysterious, isn't it, Inuyasha-sama?" There was an earnest sincerity in the girl's voice, "all this time both of us were in love with each other, and we never knew!"

"Why don't you show him the ring?" Sesshoumaru suggested, a bit hurriedly it seemed to Inuyasha. But if his behaviour was suspicious, Rin was oblivious to it. With a smile that seemed to light up the night, she extended her hand that bore a glittering diamond ring. Inuyasha knew he had to compliment the ring or else the girl would take offence.

"It's absolutely wonderful," he said with a somewhat strained smile.

"Don't you recognize it?" the girl seemed astonished, "It is your grandmother's ring!"

Inuyasha frowned. As far as he knew, his grandmother's ring now belonged to Kagome. Sesshoumaru had slipped it on her finger back when he had proposed to her.

"Myouga-sama said the elder Taishou always proposes with this ring," Rin explained.

'_Then why didn't he ask for the ring from Kagome?' _Inuyasha would have heard about it if he had, would have seen the results as Kagome collapsed even further into herself. He supposed that Sesshoumaru could have simply retrieved it without saying anything but, unless he was mistaken, this ring did not appear to be the same one that had been placed on Kagome's finger what seemed like an eternity ago. So why would Rin believe it was? Unless-

Inuyasha shifted uneasily, his eyes flicking to his brother's impassive face as a logical explanation occurred to him.

-unless Sesshoumaru considered his engagement to Kagome to be the real thing. At once, he could put the whole thing into perspective. This engagement was a fake, just like the ring was, just like the marriage was going to be.

Inuyasha wondered what would happen to this frank, happy girl once she came face to face with the enormity of the deceit that was being perpetrated upon her. Would she smile then as she was smiling now? Would her eyes hold the same light as the present or would it dim and die out, become as glazed and jaded as his brother's? Such a bright soul, but soon she would be hunted down like an animal. A wave of revulsion soared through his heart at the very thought of it. His eyes must have belied his true feelings, for when they met his brother's, the latter silenced him with a warning glance.

After dinner and a round of goodbyes, Sesshoumaru left to drive Rin home while Inuyasha made his way back up to the mansion and then to his bedroom. He had expected Kagome to be asleep and was mildly surprised to see her sitting up in the bed, surfing the television. As he entered, she raised a questioning glance at him.

"How is she?" she whispered in a tremulous voice.

"Seems like a good person," Inuyasha decided to keep his reply as close to neutral as he could.

Kagome bit her lower lip. Inuyasha could see her hesitation – for her next question was going to reveal her jealousy about another man. He sat down on the bed and caressed her cheek, to demonstrate his support and love for her. It achieved the opposite result. She froze instantly and inched away from him like his very touch was polluted. Her action stung Inuyasha, but, ignoring his instinct to withdraw into his own shell, he waited, allowing her to regain her composure. At length she breathed deeply and looked at him.

"Is she pretty?" she struggled to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"I'm afraid she is." Inuyasha couldn't lie. They would meet during the wedding anyway.

"I see."

Inuyasha was alarmed to see Kagome become sadder than before, as she drew up her knees and rested her chin above them. He knew his words were responsible for it. Now he needed to do some damage control. He thought frantically for a moment before he made up his mind.

"Get dressed, we're going out," he ordered.

The girl looked up, surprised. "At this hour?"

"Yeah, you have five minutes so get off your ass right now."

Kagome looked like she might protest, but then she seemed to think the better of it. She rose obediently and slipped into jeans and a top.

"Now tell me, where do you want me to take you?" Inuyasha asked her as they got inside the car.

"I thought you knew where you were going." She looked at him, puzzled.

'_I wish I did.'_

"Oh I do," he said aloud. "I'm going where you wish to be at this very moment. Do you want to visit Jii-chan and Mama?"

Kagome thought for a while and shook her head. "I'd rather not. While a visit with Mama would be nice," she said a bit wistfully, "I'm still too mad at Jii-chan." She looked at her husband anxiously, but Inuyasha nodded understandingly.

He was also pretty mad at Jii-chan, though he made a mental note to see about having Mama, as she had told him to call her at their wedding, drop by the mansion for a visit. Perhaps that would help lift Kagome's spirits as the wedding drew closer. He quickly tried to think of something else that would cheer her up at the present moment.

"Want to go for ice cream?" he suggested out of the blue.

Kagome considered for a bit. Then her face lit up. "Only if you treat me to Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk."

"Now we're talking!" Inuyasha gave her a bright grin and started the car.

After a ten-minute drive they arrived at the nearest outlet of Ben & Jerry's but it was quite late at night and the shop was closed. Kagome sighed.

"I guess today isn't my lucky day after all," she said with a faltering smile.

Inuyasha looked at her. He felt a twist of pain, and an urge to remove all sorrow from the heart of the woman beside him. He didn't care if it started with something as simple as treating her to her favorite ice cream. Step by step he would help her get through this mess and heal her wounds.

"C'mon!" he said encouragingly, "you can't give up so easily! If one door closes another will open."

But it seemed that Inuyasha proposes and God disposes. After a two-hour drive around the city they were back to square one. It seemed as though every shop in the city had pulled down their shutters.

"I told you, not my lucky day at all." Kagome gave him a resigned smile that almost broke his heart. "We should just go home."

"No! I promised you ice cream, and I always keep my promises." Inuyasha thought for a while, and then pulled out his cell-phone and dialed a number. Kagome looked at him quizzically as he spoke in a strange dialect. After a short while, he turned the car around and sped away towards his favourite bakery.

The lights of the shop went on as Inuyasha finished parking his car. The shutters went up. Toutousai peered out of the door.

"Inuyasha? At this hour?"

"Sorry to bother you old man," Inuyasha apologized before pulling Kagome forward to introduce her to the octogenarian, "this is my wife, Kagome. Kagome, this is Toutousai, my great-uncle from Ofukuro's side."

Toutousai frowned. "You remember your great-uncle only in times of need, eh? Why was I not invited to the wedding?"

"Because you were out of the city and rudely refused to return?" Inuyasha suggested.

"Ah, right, quite right. It's so difficult to keep track of things these days. Well, I'm glad you decided to make an honest woman of her."

"Say, what?" Inuyasha barked.

"Isn't she the harlot who used to cling to your arm while you strutted around like a peacock all over the place? This Kagura?"

Kagome glared at Inuyasha.

"She's not Kagura, she's Kagome," Inuyasha hurriedly explained. "Ka-go-me. And that's my brother you are talking about."

"Quite right," Toutousai replied as he hobbled back into the shop. "So, what does this one want?"

Inuyasha gave Kagome an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, normally my cousin runs this shop but he's out of town today."

She brushed aside his apology, and with a smile, went forward and extended her hand.

"Hello Jii-san, I'm so pleased to meet you."

The old man peered at her suspiciously through curtains of cataracts. After a long glance, he broke into a happy smile and took her hand in his.

"Pleased to meet you too, m'dear. Good choice, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Just give us the ice cream already, we need to go back."

Kagome looked at him reproachfully before looking at Toutousai again.

"Jii-san, can I ask you something?"

"Ask me?" the old man's face lit up with delight. "Nobody asks me anything. Go on!"

"You must have known my mother-in-law…Inuyasha's mother?"

Inuyasha was surprised. Why did Kagome want to know about _his_ mother? _His_ roots, _his_ origin?

"Izayoi?" The old man's face became tender with affection. "She was the most beautiful girl in our little community. Sweet as sugar she was, and innocent as the babe unborn. Had the face of a princess and the heart of gold, we used to say. She was destined for great things in life…yes she was!"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome only to detect a trace of a smile hanging on her lips. Was she proud of his mother? Toutousai's words held little interest for him; he had heard him speak about his mother since he was a boy. But his eyes were captured by the way Kagome listened with rapt attention to his great-uncle's eulogy, her eyes shining with mysterious hues, the soft lights of the bakery playing strange highlights on her hair, the way she absently smoothed her wayward curls, the subdued lilts of her laughter at one funny anecdote.

"This one here," Toutousai raised a shaking finger in Inuyasha's direction, "has got his mother's heart. But we didn't keep him with us, you see, because _he_ would have come."

"He? Who?" Kagome asked.

Toutousai's eyes glazed over. "Was that your child in the car?"

Kagome was looking perplexed. Inuyasha made an impatient grunt and went to the fridge himself. Minutes later he and Kagome were back inside the car, with a tub of ice cream sitting between them.

"I'm sorry but the old geezer is really senile," he apologized, feeling embarrassed by the antics of his relative. But Kagome didn't look offended. _'That's a relief,'_ he thought.

"It's okay, I didn't mind," the girl smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat. "In fact I'm glad I got to meet him. And you have cousins? Why haven't you introduced me to them yet?"

Inuyasha felt the heat rising to his cheeks. "Mother and Sesshoumaru think that Ofukuro's family is beneath them. Nobody has stopped me from hanging out with them, but from my childhood I knew that it was frowned upon," he smiled as he remembered his own obstinacy. "But I still meet them on the sly. Almost everyday I stop by their shop to buy pastries and have a chat with them."

Kagome shook her head. "That still doesn't explain why you didn't introduce me to them."

Inuyasha stared at Kagome like she was insane. _Wasn't the reason pretty obvious?_

"You are the Higurashi heiress, you were going to marry the present Lord Taishou – you are so out of our league." He didn't even realize he had included himself in his statement.

Now the girl stared at him as if _he_ was insane.

"Inuyasha, I'm their _family_ now."

_Family? Kagome considered him as family? She thought she belonged to a side of him that had no connection with Sesshoumaru? _

"Oh!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed, startling him out of his thoughts, "what did Toutousai-jiisan mean by 'he would have come'?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Dunno. Maybe he meant Ryuukossei. He wanted to kill us all, you see. But if I were you I wouldn't think much about his words. His brain is awfully jumbled up."

Kagome nodded uncertainly.

"C'mon," Inuyasha said as he started the car again. "We've got to hurry if we don't want the ice cream to melt. I know the perfect place to eat it."

To Kagome's confusion, he drove back to the mansion. But upon parking the car, he pulled her away from the house, toward the eucalyptus trees that lined the property. The full moon was shining through the grove, turning the fallen leaves into a heap of silver that crisply crumbled under their feet. He gently grasped her hand and led her down the familiar trail and up a knoll. He grinned as he heard her gasp beside him at the view.

"It's beautiful," she murmured as she stared at the grassy expanse below them.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed, his eyes locked onto her face as she stared in awe. Not for him was the lethal beauty of the moonlight, the shadow of the winking stars, the susurration of the cool night breeze through the lush verdure that stretched as far as the eyes would go. She was more bewitching, more enthralling than the night; more ethereal than the mercury moon, more fragrant than honey and heather, and more sacred than an altar. Fire tinged the distant moon; he shivered as though with a slight fever; his glance glided over her face, then fell prostrate at her feet, blinded by her perfect beauty. After a moment he sighed and spread his jumper on the grass for her to sit.

They sat there, sharing the tub of ice cream between them. Kagome continued to stare around them. But Inuyasha found his eyes kept being drawn back to the girl's face as he shared stories about this spot, **his** spot. It was his special place; when he was young he used to hide here and wait for someone to come looking for him. But nobody ever did. As he grew up, it became his happy place, where he went when he needed to be alone or to calm down after a troubling day.

Inuyasha grinned as he told her about it. "I've just always loved nature. And this spot is full of nature, I've always felt at peace here." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about the seating, I've never had to share this place with anyone before."

Kagome's eyes had shot to him at that before she had looked away, perhaps feeling a bit uncomfortable at his confession. Or was she wondering why he had decided to share his special spot with her?

As they slipped into their night clothes and went to bed that night, Inuyasha stayed awake for a long time pondering over the events of the night. Kagome had met _his_ great-uncle, talked to him, asked about his mother, had all but declared that she belonged to _him_, exclusively, quite apart from the Taishous. Had she started to accept him as her husband? The possibility opened up a roseate world of hope and promises before his eyes – he and Kagome living as man and wife, going for vacations by the beach, cuddling in that cabin on the mountains – this time for a _real_ honeymoon, and maybe, in a couple of years' time, the pitter-patter of small feet around the house. Inuyasha smiled to himself at the thought, before sighing and chiding his imagination for going into overdrive. '_For any of that to happen, she would have to want my touch. Something she clearly doesn't,'_ he thought, remembering the look on her face as she flinched away earlier.

But despite that, things were improving between them, weren't they? Hadn't she come with him without explanation, put up with his great-uncle's antics and even asked about his mother? Wasn't that proof that there was still hope for them?

A dry sob beside him jerked him out of his reverie. He looked to Kagome in alarm, but saw that she was crying in her sleep. He reached out to wake her up, but then decided against it. If he woke her up, she would be embarrassed and deny that she was crying, and then go back to whatever nightmares were tormenting her. What he really needed to do was to chase those nightmares away for good, to calm her spirit and let her know that he would always be there by her side.

He slipped his hand under her neck and gently drew her to himself. As he pulled her closer Kagome turned in her sleep, facing towards him. As he moved even closer so that they were both now lying in the center of the bed instead of on opposite sides, her hands rose to clutch at his shirt as she buried her face in his chest. He froze a moment before ascertaining that she was still fast asleep, then lifted one hand to the back of her head in a soothing gesture and offered whatever comfort he could. He ran his fingers through her hair, shushing her, placing gentle kisses on her forehead, wiping the tears that slid out of her closed eyelids. As he comforted her, he felt strangely calm and serene – almost blissful. Before long, Kagome's sobs had quieted as she fell into a deeper slumber. Inuyasha smiled down at her as his arms tightened protectively around her back. A moment later he was also asleep.

The first golden rays of the sun fell on his face as he awakened. Immediately he was awash with the feeling of something warm and wonderful wrapped around him, permeating all his senses at once. For the first time in years he felt utterly at peace and thoroughly happy with the world. His whole life, the campaign, none of it meant a thing if he could have just a few more hours with this glorious sensation.

As rationality seeped in through his sleep-addled mind, he realized the source of the brilliant comfort to be none other than Kagome clinging to him in her sleep. Then he was faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, it broke his heart to let go of her. On the other, he was afraid that when she woke up, she would reject his touch like she had the night before, or accuse him of taking advantage of her. He did not wish to break the delicate bond of trust that was developing between them. Gently, he shifted her and laid her back on her side of the bed before moving away, all the while longing, praying for the day when she would willingly lie in his arms.

That night her sleep was again interrupted with tears and again he gave into the temptation to comfort her in her sleep. When he awoke in the morning, again he rolled away from her before she could awaken herself.

Before he realized, it had become a habit for him, one he didn't think he could break nor did he want to.


	8. A Man Misjudged

A Man Misjudged

Time has a way of flowing at its own pace. Those giant wheels crush great and small alike, oblivious to our pain as they tread upon history, marking centuries and millennia. The passage of time was what Inuyasha was also feeling in his heart, and however he dreaded the day of his brother's wedding, he was powerless to keep the storm off Kagome. As the wave came crashing on the shore, her resolve crumbled, leaving her a nervous wreck.

It was not like he hadn't tried to cheer her up; he spent time with her as often as his schedule would permit – took her dining, took her for walks, watched her favourite movies with her, had even gone for a day-long picnic at his favourite place – _their_ special place in the estate. While those outings were pleasant enough as far as temporary diversions went, they did nothing to alleviate her real problem – the pain of seeing her beloved man become the husband of another. Inuyasha did not know how he could ever prepare Kagome to face that reality.

But prepare her he must. The whole plan hinged on him and Kagome smiling through the ceremony and looking perfectly in love. Her absence would fuel the rumour mills into a frenzy about the alleged relationship, exposing his brother's wedding for what it was – a hurriedly put together drama for the eyes of the public. Inuyasha had shielded his wife from the pain as much as he could, but now she had no choice but to come face to face with Rin.

The worst part was that he was actually making progress with her. She accepted his touch more readily now, and although there were still times she would cringe or turn her face away, on the whole she behaved like she trusted him. _'What will she think now?'_ he wondered. _'That I was fattening her up like a calf for the day of the sacrifice?'_ He worried that they might never go back to their former relationship ever again.

He sat down beside her prone form upon the bed, and then started running his fingers through her hair, speaking words of encouragement. For a moment he felt unmanly, emasculated, preparing his wife for her lover's wedding. But he quickly put that thought out of his mind – Kagome's misery was real and palpable. It was seeping through his heart and permeating his very soul. He was not surprised when she refused to respond to his touch, burying her face further into the pillow. He put his fingers below her chin and forced her face up, drying her tears with his thumbs.

"I know it's difficult for you," he said with as much gentleness as he could muster, "but we need to keep up appearances. Your presence is vital to this event."

"I can't," she sobbed, unconsciously pressing her face further into his hand, "it's just too much."

Inuyasha sighed at the irony of the situation. Then he devised a way to make her go through the day. Problems always looked bigger when seen from a distance. Once they were broken down into smaller blocks they didn't seem so insurmountable.

"Let's take it a step at a time okay? For now I need you to take a bath. Can you do that for me?"

Kagome nodded. He all but lifted her out of the bed and pushed her into the bathroom, all the while praying that she would not change her mind midway through her shower.

Myouga peeked his head into the room. "How is she holding up?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," Inuyasha replied, casting a worried glance back at the bathroom door.

"She'll be there for the ceremony, right?" The older man sounded a little anxious.

A wave of irritation lanced through Inuyasha's mind. All they cared was for her to be present at the ceremony. None of them gave a damn about her travail, about the pain the situation was causing her. Nobody did, except for him. "She'll be there," he replied curtly.

Myouga nodded his head. "Please don't be late." He withdrew from the door.

Some of the old anger boiled over in Inuyasha's heart again. This whole mess was created by Sesshoumaru and not once did he favor Kagome with a single reassuring word or gesture. Today he had not even bothered to greet her in the morning. Intending to give his brother a piece of his mind, Inuyasha marched into the latter's room. Sesshoumaru was buttoning his cuff.

"As long as Kagome blesses your union – well, that's all that matters to you, eh?" Inuyasha chewed out the words.

Sesshoumaru looked astonished, before a more guarded look crossed his features. "Yes, precisely so."

"You are a shameless cad, you know that? You _know_ how much pain you have inflicted on her but you don't bloody care!"

Sesshoumaru adjusted his collar. "I think you are doing a pretty good job at the caring bit."

"Only because someone has decided to shirk his responsibility."

Checking his reflection in the mirror one last time, Lord Taishou replied. "Hmm. So I have somehow shirked my responsibility? Do you realize how simple it would be for me to say a few nice words to your wife? To take her to _another_ secluded spot in the estate, hold her hand and whisper sweet nothings into her ear as I make love to her? To explain why I have been behaving so and then apologize for it? Kagome would be fine after that – she is incapable of holding a grudge against me. But where would that leave _you_, little brother? Better that she thinks of me as a cad and leans on you for support than she thinks of me as her hero and you as a bloody nobody, right?"

Inuyasha barely managed to rein in his temper, resisting the urge to throttle his brother as he began to speak. But as the rest of his statement sunk in, he found himself staring at him, completely flabbergasted. Of all the things in the world that he thought Sesshoumaru's reply might be, this was what he had least expected.

"You don't have to take pity on my marriage, Sesshoumaru," he said stubbornly, "if our vows are true she'll willingly obey them. If not, there was no marriage to begin with." He ignored the rest of what his brother had said. Now was not the time to focus on the implication those words held. He needed to focus on Kagome's needs not his own anger and jealousy.

His brother smirked. "Time will tell."

Disgusted, Inuyasha walked back into his own room. Kagome was already dressed and was idly toying with her make up. She looked at him through the mirror and gave him a small smile.

"One step at a time, right?"

"Umm…right," Inuyasha said absently, trying to re-focus his mind on her.

There was a knock on the door. Inuyasha held it open for Lady Taishou. She was already dressed for the wedding. Although she had donned a spirit of festivity, Inuyasha thought he could detect a tinge of sadness in her eyes. Gracefully, the Lady walked up to Kagome and opened a red velvet box in front of her. Within it was a diamond necklace and matching earrings that Inuyasha thought looked very pretty.

"This belonged to Izayoi," Lady Taishou explained with a smile. "It was there inside the vault but I had forgotten all about it. Today when I was looking for a set to gift Rin my eyes fell on it and…well, it belongs to you. It would mean a lot to me if you wear it to the wedding?"

Kagome tried to make her smile appear sincere. "Of course I'll wear it, Mother."

Lady Taishou put the necklace around Kagome's neck and checked her reflection. Inuyasha was stunned at the difference this simple piece of jewelry could make. His wife was looking radiant, like a princess straight out of a fairy tale. Straightening, Lady Taishou made to walk out of the room before shooting a worried glance at Inuyasha. "We shall leave in a few minutes. I take it that you are to follow us shortly?"

Inuyasha nodded in reply.

True to his nod, within a short while Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting at the back of the limo that was slowly turning in the driveway. Inuyasha put a concerned arm around the shoulders of his wife.

"They are going to come back to this house," Kagome said, her anguish at the thought very apparent. "He will live with her in here!"

Inuyasha sighed. He didn't even want to think of the hour when that would come to pass.

"Yes, because he is the Lord of this mansion," he said, kissing the top of her head, "but if that's too much for you we can go live in another house."

In his heart he knew that would be impossible – at least until after the elections were over. But he could always devise plans to keep Kagome out of Rin's path. Maybe he would take her away for the campaign. After that they would go away for a vacation. Part of the time Kagome could stay at her parents' place. The election was less than a year away. He just needed to manipulate things til then, and with Sesshoumaru's cooperation he just might be able to. He scowled for a moment at the thought of needing Sesshoumaru's help, but a glance at his distraught wife firmed his resolve. Sesshoumaru would help him if he had to beat that help out of him.

The car stopped before the cathedral. Inuyasha exited first, then extended his hand to help Kagome out. He kept a firm grip on her arm, offering her support, as he led her to her seat at the front of the cathedral. He got her settled in and gave her a quick hug then, with one last worried glance, he hurried to perform his duties as the 'best man', though he wanted nothing more than to hold Kagome's hand and sit by her through the entire ceremony. He left his heart and his mind back with his wife.

The ceremony was a blur to him, his frantic eyes stayed locked onto the frail form of his wife, sitting there looking lost. An irritated Sesshoumaru had to nudge him to get his attention when it was time to present the ring. Once that task was done, his eyes sought Kagome once more.

As soon as he was free he rushed back to her. She looked up at him, and he smiled at her. No, more – much more than that; he poured all the warmth of his heart, all things good and positive that he had ever felt into that one smile. He tried to reach her heart through that smile, hoping against hope that some of his joy would rub off on her. Relief spread through his heart as he saw her smile back at him, giving him the strength to push her into the revelry even further.

He stayed by her side through the dance, through the buffet, through the numerous photos and interviews with the representatives from the Press. The newlyweds set off for their honeymoon. Kagome cheered with the others, even though her eyes told Inuyasha that she was walking on swords. He clutched her waist and planted a kiss on her cheek, but a gnawing feeling in his heart told him that she was becoming distant once again.

It was late evening when the couple finally returned home. Inuyasha gave Kagome worried glances as he led her back to their room. He was practically dragging her, she moved so lifelessly. He settled Kagome on the bed. "Are you alright?" he asked.

A simple shrug was his answer.

He sighed. "Look, it's been a rough day, especially for you. I'm going to take a quick shower, why don't you change? Once I'm done I'll run a hot bath for you, that will help you relax." He got no reply as she stared vacantly at the wall.

He sighed, giving her one more worry-filled look before going into the bathroom for a shower. It had been a gruelling day. His tensed muscles relaxed under the soothing touch of hot water that fell from the shower head and splintered into a thousand drops on making contact with his back. He let his worries ooze out with the water. Slowly, he was able to unclench his hands. It was still sometime later that he realized that he was grinding his teeth. Taking a deep breath, he turned off the shower and reached for a towel.

Kagome was sitting beside the open window when he emerged from the bathroom. A chilly breeze was blowing in and she was still in her low-cut dress, quite oblivious of the weather.

"Oi," Inuyasha called, startling her out of her reverie, "if you don't feel like changing yet, why don't you put on a shawl? You'll catch a cold like this."

Right on cue Kagome shook, a sob shivering through her entire body. "Why are you doing this?" she murmured.

Inuyasha was stunned. He didn't know what to say. "What d'you mean, Kagome?" was all he could manage.

"_Why are you doing all this for me?"_ she shouted through her tears.

He was taken aback by the vehemence of her sudden outburst. Why was she angry with him? He tried to think about what he could have done to make her so mad but he failed to come up with anything.

"I was only trying to help, Kagome-"

She folded her hands in supplication, sobbing loudly. "Stop it! Already you have done enough. I don't deserve all this kindness from you, and I have done nothing in return. So please Inuyasha, I beg of you, don't do me any more favors. I can't take it anymore."

"Why do you call them favors?" He was bewildered, stung by her words. Why was she twisting the whole thing around, making it out to be something that it was not? Why would she call it a favor? And how could she remain so blind to his _love_? After all they had done together for the last one month, all those 'dates' and picnics and cozy dinners, was this the best explanation of his behaviour that she could come up with? That he _pitied_ her? What did she think about him anyway? He was not a husband for her, that much was painfully obvious. Now it seemed to him that he was not even her friend.

"Just go away. Please!" Kagome crawled into her bed and curled up in a ball, as Inuyasha looked on, lost for words.


	9. A Man with a Past

Kikyou…

Just one name and a thousand memories swam to Inuyasha's head. He had always associated her with the warm sun and blue sea and fresh air. Sitting across from her in the subdued lights of the old parlour seemed unreal to him somehow – as if something did not quite fit. But her voice had the same sultry timbre, her laughter the same satin overtones that wrapped him in a charm of its own. He enjoyed talking to her – that was something he could not deny. After a short time he felt himself opening up and laughing heartily along with her, forgetting his recent worries about Kagome.

"You were the president of the drama club!" she exclaimed.

"And looking for a suitable Portia," he added. "And dreading lest I had to cast Sango for the part. I was so happy when I ran into you, that crisp autumn morning."

"I still don't know why you cast me in that role," she laughed. "Even though I had zero acting experience!"

"Maybe the way your hair fell about your face, or your eyes, or the smile you gave me, or your perfume," he shrugged, "something just clicked."

"And then the long rehearsals!" She rolled her eyes.

"In my defence, you _were_ a rank amateur! Ah, the pains I have taken to improve your elocution, I'd have made Henry Higgins proud!" He dashed away an imaginary tear, causing Kikyou to hit him playfully with her purse.

"You were busy falling in love with me the whole time," she shouted animatedly.

"That, too. You were _so_ out of my league that I was surprised you agreed at all."

"I think we'd met all over the place – in the library, in cafés, in the park…"

"…once even on the theatre stage!" he completed for her.

Kikyou sighed. "There was so much _chemistry_. I've missed that in all my subsequent relationships."

Inuyasha suddenly felt self-conscious. There was a time he could not wait to make Kikyou his wife. But try as they did, they could not meld their lives together. Their goals had clashed and both had been equally stubborn about having to give up their dreams. Inuyasha was heart-broken, but he knew they had made the right decision. Reviving all those memories seemed quite pointless to him now.

Not to mention the fact that he was married. He had informed her about his changed status over the phone but she had pretended as if she had not heard. He knew bringing it up again might be awkward. A frown marred his face as his mind flew towards his wife once more.

Kagome had been anything but normal since her outburst four days ago. At first, she had maintained a civil front before the servants, coming down for breakfast and dinner. Gradually, she had stopped doing even that, clinging to the bed night and day and refusing to eat more than an occasional bowl of soup. He was worried about the effect of this abstinence on her body. It couldn't be just his imagination, she felt much thinner, frailer, when he held her at night. He had tried talking to her, personally set food before her, practically begging, then even ordering her to eat. But she would refuse, simply saying she wasn't hungry if she said anything at all. She would neither listen to his entreaties nor communicate with him, simply turning away when he tried. Finding himself unable to tackle the situation, he had called Mama for help. She had wasted no time in rushing over to the mansion.

_Flashback_

"She is looking so pallid and frail, I just don't know what to do," he had confessed to Mama. "She won't even talk to me," he added miserably.

"It's okay, don't worry dear," Mama had said reassuringly as she patted his shoulder, "I'll take care of her. Don't worry."

She went inside their bedroom and shut the door. Inuyasha was curious to hear what Mama would say, but Jaken was coming towards him, carrying a card on a tray. He was surprised to read the name upon it.

_End Flashback_

A jerk on his knee brought him out of his thoughts. Kikyou was poking him, an almost anxious look upon her face.

"It's alright if you can't finance the project at the moment," she said. "You don't have to look so glum about it!"

_Project? What project? _He had completely missed what she had been saying, so lost in his thoughts and worries about his wife.

"No, no it's not about that at all," he laughed uncomfortably, trying to hide his inattentiveness. "Say what, let's go out for dinner and discuss your project in detail."

Kikyou smiled as she raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like a plan to me, but won't your…er…_wife_ mind?"

"She'll be fine," he laughed, perhaps a bit nervously. "In fact she'll be glad to be rid of me for a few hours. Her mother has come to visit."

"Ah!" Kikyou teased, "The dreaded mother-in-law!"

"Hey, she's nice! She's been-"

He noticed Kikyou's eyes looking behind him, toward the doorway. Inuyasha turned slightly in his seat and followed her glance to see Kagome standing there. _'Oops, have we been too loud? Did the noise disturb her?'_ he thought anxiously as he rose to escort her into the room. As he came closer, however, he noticed Kagome looking slightly better in spite of having a concerned look in her eyes. There was even some color back in her cheeks. Actually, just seeing her out of bed was a pleasant change. Feeling relieved and grateful, he put an arm around her shoulders and led her to the middle of the room.

"Kagome, meet my very dear friend, Kikyou. Kikyou, this is my wife, Kagome."

The women greeted each other with smiles, but refrained from speaking. Inuyasha felt the need to melt the ice between them.

"Kikyou and I…um…we went to the same college. She was a year senior to me." He did not want to advertise their past relationship in front of his wife. No need to bring up a topic like that considering the current situation.

"But _friendship_ doesn't depend upon age," Kikyou said.

Inuyasha felt embarrassed at the emphasis she placed on 'friendship'. _'Is she trying to cause a problem?'_ He shook his head slightly. _'No, Kikyou wouldn't do anything like that. I'm just imagining things.' _He began speaking to fill the silence that was threatening as the two women simply stared at one another.

"Right. Kikyou is a very active environmentalist. Our party has promised to partially fund her research." He stayed purposefully vague regarding the nature of the research, as he had not heard a word of what she had said earlier.

"I'm sure you are doing very important work," Kagome said as she smiled again. It appeared a bit forced but Inuyasha was glad to see even that small bit of emotion after the last few days.

"Yes, some of us need to use our brains to go through life. Not all of us are fortunate enough to be born as heiresses."

'_Damn! What the hell was Kikyou trying to do? Stooping to such levels…'_ He saw Kagome become stiffer out of the corner of his eye. '_And she had been making progress too,'_ he groaned silently.

Kikyou smiled again, though it looked a touch insincere. "It was just a joke. I hope you didn't mind."

Inuyasha felt the need to immediately distance Kikyou from Kagome. He did not want her jealous barbs to undo what Mama had been able to achieve after four days.

"Erm, we were just leaving," he said hurriedly. "I'm taking Kikyou out for dinner. I might be late so don't stay up, okay?"

Kagome nodded and turned to leave the room. Inuyasha saw something flash across her face as she did so. What, he couldn't say but it caused a flash of concern and worry to shoot through him. He frowned and nearly followed her from the room. He stopped as Kikyou started fumbling with her coat. '_Feh, she'll be alright. I'm sure I'm just imagining things, again.'_ He turned and helped Kikyou with her coat.

"Thank you," she flashed a dazzling smile at him.

'_Oh this will be a long night,'_ he sighed as he led her out of the house.

A short drive later, the duo found themselves at the restaurant of the hotel where Kikyou was staying for the night. She had insisted on sitting in a quiet corner, and he had seen no harm in it. They did have something serious to discuss.

"So, what's this project that you were talking about?" Inuyasha asked.

Throughout the first course of the meal Kikyou talked animatedly about her project and the infrastructure it would require, its chances of being successful and where the money would help. Inuyasha listened carefully and promised to make the appropriate contributions, if necessary out of his own pocket. Not only did the project sound like a good one, one that would help a great many people, but he dearly wished her to succeed and be happy in life.

With that thought in mind he asked her how things had been going in her personal life.

Kikyou sighed, glancing away. "I've tried dating a few times but none of the relationships last. They just don't feel right." She turned back to him with a smile. "But I've been quite busy with my work. You know how happy it makes me to see the good we can do."

Conversation then turned towards his own marriage and Inuyasha found himself pouring his heart to her, telling her everything from the circumstances of the wedding to their subsequent difficulties, the lack of consummation, their gradually coming closer and then everything breaking down with one outburst from Kagome. He told her how much he had hoped to work things out with his wife, his despair at not being able to reach her, and his realization that they would probably never go back to being friends again, if they ever were to begin with. Kikyou listened sympathetically, making the appropriate noises of commiseration, between many glasses of wine. Inuyasha was feeling lighter than he did in almost three months, realizing that he had sorely been in need of a friend, someone he could confide in. The hours had flown by on rosy wings.

It was quite late when he took his leave of her in front of the elevator. Kikyou had leaned in for a kiss, but Inuyasha turned his head, allowing his cheek to brush against her lips quickly before taking a step away.

"Do you need to be so formal, Inuyasha Taishou?" the woman laughed. "It's me, come on! You can do better than that." She slurred her words with a hint of sauciness. "My room is right upstairs; won't you stop in for a…night cap?"

"I'd rather not, thank you," he replied with a slight grin and a bit of a twinkle in his eyes.

"Why? Am I not good enough for you?" she pouted.

To tell the truth, at that moment she looked very appealing, standing sassily with one hand upon her waist, her dress slipping a notch to reveal her ivory skin, a hint of wine in her breath. It would be so easy to slip into her room, Inuyasha thought, have a few hours of fun and then return as if nothing had happened. It had been so long since he had been with a woman. Just like that, he could break the vows of marriage – between a hot ex and a few glasses of Chardonnay. Kagome would never know. Inuyasha laughed inwardly at the idea, sobering as the reality of the situation hit him.

"You are beautiful, but I'd rather not cross that line."

"Aww," she traced his chin with a finger. "Wife put a chastity belt on you?"

He waved his left hand at her, the light glinting off of his wedding ring. "As good as."

Kikyou threw her head back and laughed. "You are so hopeless! This is classic you – you could feel the passion between us back in college, yet you wouldn't spend the night with me till after we were married. And look where _that_ has led us to!"

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out between us," Inuyasha apologized, yet again, wondering how many times he would have to do so. He wasn't the only one to blame for their relationship ending. But it would be of no use to point that out to her, at least not now.

"Do you even have it in you to satisfy a woman?" Kikyou's face was slightly contorted with rage, colour rushing to her cheeks.

Inuyasha blinked, forcing down the rush of anger that statement caused. "Kikyou, what's gotten into you?" _What's wrong with all the women in my life?_

"Couldn't satisfy me then, can't satisfy your wife now!" Kikyou laughed bitterly. "Rejecting me tonight was a big mistake. I'll make you pay for it someday!" Kikyou hissed as she re-arranged her stole and pressed the elevator button.

"No, you won't," Inuyasha said gravely, forcing himself to ignore the comment about being unable to satisfy Kagome. "You are not that kind of a woman, Kikyou. You know the difference between right and wrong, and I have always trusted you to do the right thing."

Kikyou stopped fiddling with her stole to look at him, tears rising to her eyes. "Why can't things be different between us? Like the way they used to be?"

Inuyasha shrugged, not having an easy answer for her, at least not one she would accept at the moment. "That time is gone. Let's leave the past to where it belongs. No use exhuming corpses out of the grave."

"Corpses, huh? Then so be it."

The elevator had come. Kikyou sighed and stepped in, but as the doors were closing, she gave him a big smile. "Give me a call if your marriage cracks."

Inuyasha smiled back. "I promise." He wouldn't though, no matter how badly it may get between he and Kagome. He had promised to forsake all others on the day he married her. And he was a man of his word, taking his vows seriously. He turned and left the hotel, heading home to his wife.


	10. The Completed Man

Author Note: There is a lemon at the end of this chapter. If that is not something you like to read then don't worry, it has been edited so that nothing more explicit than kissing and touching is featured in this version. However, if you want to read the uncensored version, this story is being posted at Mediaminer and Eternal Destiny. You will be able to find the uncensored chapter there (We would recommend the uncensored version, provided you are not squeamish about it, as it captures the mood much better). You can search with the same name on Mediaminer and on Eternal Destiny it is posted as 'Twin Souls'.

* * *

The Completed Man

"Had fun?"

Inuyasha was surprised to detect a bitter edge in Kagome's voice. He had just returned from his dinner with Kikyou. Kagome had surprised him by staying awake even though it was two in the morning. _Why was she mad at him? And why was she up so late? _He quickly discarded the idea that she had stayed up to wait for him. _'Must not have been able to sleep,'_ he thought. He paused to take in her crossed arms and the calm look on her face, so calm it appeared to be forced. Suddenly, he was cautious about divulging too much information, something about Kagome's tone and body language suggested that she would not like it at all. So he merely shrugged and tossed his watch on to the dresser as he replied. "Eh, it was okay."

She pointedly glanced at the clock. "You two had a lot to discuss, it seems."

Again, Inuyasha bit back the reply that had come to his tongue. He did not know if it was Kikyou's influence or that of the wine, but he had ended up sharing a lot of intimate details regarding his marriage. Now that prudence prevailed, he decided that Kagome would not appreciate it if she came to know about it. Making a mental note not to get carried away like that ever again, Inuyasha proceeded to say a half-truth, though his soul rebelled against it. "I told you we're funding her research. We needed to chalk out the logistics."

"So, this Kikyou person is just a friend of yours?"

Inuyasha noticed that Kagome's voice shook slightly as she asked. He paused in the middle of taking off his coat. _Oh what the hell, she's no fool anyway._

"As a matter of fact we used to go around in college. It was a long time ago."

"And you didn't tell me because?"

"You never asked," he replied truthfully, before bending down to take off his shoes. Kagome crawled a step forward.

"So this marriage was just a compromise for you? You are actually in love with Kikyou?"

_What? _Inuyasha looked up, surprised. "Where is this coming from?"

"Oh you can drop the act now. I know you only married me because your brother forced you to. Kikyou is your obvious first choice."

Inuyasha sighed as he literally escaped into the bathroom. He could not deal with another jealous, angry woman tonight. One was more than enough. _'But why would Kagome be jealous of Kikyou when she's not even in love with me?' _a part of him wondered as he splashed cold water on his face. He could not figure out his wife's strange reaction. _'She seemed fine a few hours ago,'_ he thought as he turned on the shower.

He sorely needed to wash off his guilt – for in his mind he had strayed from his ideal. Was he right in going out for dinner with an ex without his wife? Was he right in staying out so late? There was a time during the evening when he was lost in the conversation, so much that he did not even notice the time. True, Kikyou had done all the flirting, but did he not flirt back even once? At any rate, he did not stop her either, and a part of him had actually enjoyed the attention. Then the incident in front of the lift – true, he had come out of it honourably but for a moment he was almost tempted. Why had his resolve wavered? Was he actually weak or did some part of his heart cry out for affection after being neglected by his wife for so long?

His skin had become almost white and wrinkly when he finally turned the shower off. It hadn't helped at all. Maybe the guilt would wash off someday, but a single shower was certainly not enough to erase it. Inuyasha cleared the mist from the mirror to look closely at his reflection. All of this drama in his personal life – was it taking his attention away from politics? But what was he to do? He was not a robot with an automatic on/off button to switch between his personal and professional lives. Still, he knew that he would have to find some way of pulling himself together. Taking a deep breath, he put on his pyjamas and nightshirt, then walked out of the bathroom and crawled into bed, only to have Kagome look at him mutinously. He groaned inwardly.

'_God, isn't there going to be a moment's respite? How many people will I have to apologize to when I didn't even do anything wrong?'_

"You seriously want an answer to that ridiculous question?" he asked aloud.

"Yes I do! I'm your second choice after all, aren't I? Your brother's cast-off-"

Inuyasha silenced her mid-sentence, putting his finger upon her lips. He was furious as he locked eyes with her.

"Don't ever say that again. I've _never_ thought of you as my brother's cast-off _anything_. You are Kagome, you have your own intrinsic worth, don't abase yourself like that."

"But you and Kik-"

"Shush! I'm not done yet. Yes, Kikyou and I were lovers in college. It was good while it lasted but she was passionate about the environment; she wanted to travel to the tropical rainforests and study endangered species. I had to come here and stay with my family, join politics, fulfil Oyaji's dreams. Our visions never matched. So we had to break it off. All that was over a long time ago."

"Doesn't look that way from the way she keeps looking at you," Kagome mumbled.

The tension broke. Inuyasha laughed out, finally being able to solve the enigma of her anger. "You are actually jealous of her?"

Kagome shrugged. "The way she latched on to you-"

"I see. I guess it's kind of my fault for not explaining things to you sooner." He could not help but wonder if this conversation meant what he thought it meant – that Kagome was ready to take their relationship to the next level. But he put that thought out of his mind again. There was no use getting his hopes up only to see them getting dashed again. "You see, when Sesshoumaru asked me to marry you I was outraged. I'd seen you guys together for eight years, you were going to be married to him – I had the whole mindset of looking at you as a sister-in-law. Besides, I wasn't comfortable taking money from your grandfather…it sounded too much like barter to me."

He paused for a moment to arrange his thoughts.

"But when the circumstances compelled me to go through with it, well call me old-fashioned or what you will but I take marriage seriously. It took me some time to get adjusted to the idea but I knew I had to give my everything to you. For better or for worse – that's the vow I took. Even if the whole world was against you, I had to take your side. And that's all I've tried to do – stay on your side. Wasn't doing you any favors." He gave her a knowing look at the last bit.

As he paused again, Inuyasha could not help smirking. "Kikyou can look at me all she wants but she knows I'm not available. I belong to my wife now, till death us do part."

"You told me I could go around with whoever I fancied…"

Inuyasha looked at her unbelievingly. _'Really! Did the girl understand anything at all?'_

"What was I to do? I was so bewildered at that time. I only wanted to do the right thing as a husband."

"You're _stupid_, you know that?"

Inuyasha did not know whether to cry or laugh. So he smiled instead at the naïve young woman in bed with him. Was she his 'emotionally distressed, mature, cynical bride'? Deep down she was as bad as him. The realization made him want to give her a tight hug and ruffle her hair. "Not as stupid as _you_, stupid. Favors indeed!"

"Kiss me!" It was not a command, neither was it a plea.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before they mellowed in comprehension. He brought his face down to hers and brushed his lips against hers.

The kiss was all Inuyasha had expected it to be – it was deep, sensuous, lingering – as fresh as a spring wind with the promise of a rainbow just beyond the horizon. He loved how Kagome wound her arms around his shoulders, as if she was trying to melt into him. His hands gently caressed her hair, and he wanted to pour all his love and reassurance through that caress. He found himself unable to stop, needing more of her. His lips trailed their way across her face, kissing every inch of available flesh, her soft moans and gasps only urging him on.

"Inuyasha!"

"Yes," he murmured into her neck.

"Sesshoumaru and I...we never got around to-"

His lips were upon hers again. "I don't want to know. Your past is your own." Suddenly, everything else had stopped mattering to him.

"But we never-"

Inuyasha gently caressed her cheek. "I don't care if you did or didn't. Let's just live for the moment, okay?"

Not waiting for a response, he kissed her again. His hands began to trail through her hair once more as her own clung tightly to his shoulders. Still, it wasn't enough, could never be enough. Now that he had a taste of her, he needed more. As his mouth once more trailed hot kisses down her neck, his hands began to wander as well, sliding down her body to caress her back and sides.

Kagome moaned as he sucked at one particularly sensitive spot on her neck. "Inuyasha!" she cried again, throwing her head back even as she arched into his touch.

He smirked against her skin, feeling himself harden at her breathless moans and the way she cried his name. He gently lowered her to lie on the bed as he leaned over her, his tongue laving at her neck as his hands grew adventurous, brushing against her stomach before slowly working their way up toward her heaving chest.

As he shifted his weight so that he was laying atop her, though not crushing her, a thought began to nag at him. _'Are we rushing things, going too fast?'_ They had only just shared their first kiss, at least their first real kiss. Was he rushing her into something she wasn't ready for?

Inuyasha lifted his head, intending to ask her if she wanted him to stop. But as his eyes locked onto her own, darkened with lust, she moaned and reached up, hands fisting into his collar as she pulled him down into another searing kiss.

"Inuyasha," she moaned against his lips, her legs splaying open as she tugged him down against herself, arms circling around his back as she deepened the kiss.

He groaned against hers in return as he hardened further. She felt so good, crushed up against him, her ample breasts heaving against his chest. He sank against her further, unable to stop himself from grinding himself against her center.

Kagome's eyes widened, a gasp escaping her as she went rigid.

Inuyasha paused, his eyes frantically seeking hers. Had he done something wrong? They were moving too fast. He saw the widened eyes, and then the nervousness. And yet, her face still held all of the signs of passion, so what-? Experimentally rolling his hips a fraction, he watched the look upon her face. There was no sign that she wanted to stop. Instead, a look of wonder and bliss crossed her face, though the nervousness remained. An idea began to form in his mind but he decided to test it.

He lifted one hand to cup her face as he placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "You can touch me too," he murmured as his other hand, which had paused in it's movements slowly rose to cup her breast through the fabric of her shirt. A moan escaped her as she arched into the touch.

She glanced at him, a nervous but eager look upon her face as her hands began to trail across his chest in return. Up and down, though never straying too far south.

Inuyasha kissed her again, more gently as he realized through that touch just how inexperienced she was. She was untouched, he would be the one to teach her, show her the pleasures that could be found in the flesh. He found himself gentling his actions, not wanting to hurt her needlessly by being careless.

Pulling back from her he grasped the edge of her nightshirt and gave her questioning look. She hesitated then nodded, and he lifted the cloth up and over her head. He took a moment to stare at her and she fidgeted before seeking to cover her flesh. He stopped her.

"You don't need to hide from me," Inuyasha murmured as he leaned over her once more, his hands trailing up and down her sides. He kissed her gently on the lips, then trailed his lips down her body, listening to her moan and gasp in pleasure.

Soon enough, Kagome began to reciprocate and Inuyasha discarded his own shirt at her shy request.

Kagome glanced at him as her hands rubbed small circles along the muscles of his stomach, then she leaned up and kissed his chest, directly over his heart.

Inuyasha swallowed roughly, then his lips were on hers once more. As he kissed her, his hands expertly sought her most sensitive areas, bringing her to edge and then over it. He watched the look of bliss spread across her face, a strange warmth suffusing his chest at the knowledge that he had been the one to bring her so much pleasure.

But when fumbling hands reached to return the favor, he stopped her. "Shh, it's alright. Let this night be about you," he told her when she tried to protest his actions. He kissed her again, then swiftly discarded their remaining clothing.

Inuyasha tried to be as gentle as possible, not wanting to needlessly hurt her. It was then that the realization truly hit him. He was the first person she had entrusted her body _and _soul to. No other had ever touched her the way he was. He swore to himself that he would do whatever he needed to to keep that trust for eternity.

"Kagome, I love you, so, so much," he whispered into her ears, still in awe at the realization of how much she was trusting him, of this gift she was giving him.

"I love you too, Inuyasha," she replied, a smile working it's way onto her face.

And together they completed the act, completed each other. He collapsed on top of her before rolling to the side, bringing her with him as his arms wrapped tightly around her body.

A smile formed on his lips as he listened to her breathing slow into the steadiness of sleep. For once he would be able to hold her as long as he wanted without fearing her waking up and discovering the action. He could hold her until she woke up, in his arms.

Finally, they were husband and wife in more than just name. Finally, he was complete.


	11. An Intimidating Man

An Intimidating Man 

When Inuyasha awoke that morning, the first aroma that welcomed his senses was Kagome's scent – as fresh and invigorating as that of pine sap in the crisp mountain air. The scent itself was not unfamiliar to him – he had been waking up to it for almost a month, though it still had enough charm to take his breath away. No, what made that morning special was the comforting realization that he would not have to part with heaven the moment he was up. Today he could hold Eden in his arms, revel in it, drown in it – and yet she would not mind. His consciousness protested against his growing wakefulness, his mind sought once more to dissolve in the velvety smoothness of mingled sleep and dreams, even has his hands started exploring her soft flesh, and his lips sought the rose-bud of her mouth.

Her long eyelashes fluttered; she opened her deep blue eyes to his kiss, her lips parted a little – and then she tried to withdraw her head.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked anxiously. _Is she regretting what we did last night? _His heart started to hammer inside his chest. The dream was over.

Kagome looked the other way. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Inuyasha's throat went dry. "Then why did you look away from me?" A possibility came to his mind as a chill ran down his spine. _Was she fantasizing about someone else in the dark? _Immediately he chided himself – his wife wasn't that type of a woman.

"Give me a moment," she made to rise, "I need to go to the bathroom."

_To cry? To wash his caresses off her face?_ A knot tightened around his heart. She seemed to sense something of his distress as she turned towards him.

"Last night was beautiful," she said with a shy smile; a bit of courage seeped back into his heart. "But it's morning now…I need to put on some clothes," she looked pleadingly at him.

Inuyasha unwittingly raised an eyebrow. _She was feeling shy about being naked? Of all the things in the world…_But then it dawned on him that she was a virgin until yesterday. This was probably a very novel experience for her.

"Kagome, you are beautiful. You have nothing to hide," he tried to pull her closer and yet she resisted. Inuyasha frowned.

Kagome's face turned red with embarrassment. "And I have morning breath!"

His body finally relaxing, Inuyasha gave out a bark of a laughter. "You silly girl, why are you worried about that? You're beautiful to me just the way you are! Come here!"

He pulled her in to a bear hug and was busy covering her with enthusiastic kisses when the door burst open, revealing the tiny form of Myouga. The lovers sprang apart, Kagome hiding under the sheets with a bright flush upon her face. The older man spun around, a blush of his own creeping up his neck, as Inuyasha angrily demanded an explanation.

"I beg your pardon," he stammered out nervously.

Inuyasha calmed and checked to make sure everything was covered. The fault was his own. He had forgotten to bolt the door.

"There has been a situation," Myouga continued uneasily. "If you would be so kind as to come down…"

"Yes, I'll be with you in a minute," Inuyasha informed him rather breathlessly, and Myouga shot out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Inuyasha frowned as he sat up in bed. "What the hell's up now?"

"Oh!" Kagome gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth in dismay. "It's the thing I was coming to talk to you about. But then I saw Kikyou and it slipped completely from my mind," she added a bit sheepishly.

Inuyasha smirked. "Obviously, when it comes to sexual jealousy _everything_ becomes secondary."

"It's not _that_!" Kagome protested.

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Inuyasha laughed as he pulled on his pyjamas, "basic human instinct. Even apes can feel it."

He got a whack in the head with the pillow as reply.

"Ouch! Now would you tell me your little nugget of information?"

"Oh yeah." She paused, taking a deep breath.

Inuyasha worriedly watched her face turn solemn. Whatever had happened, it wasn't good.

"Several aborigines have been killed at Naraku's rally," Kagome sombrely. "By men who are claiming to be from our Party."

Inuyasha cursed as he got out of bed. "This has to be Ryuukossei's work I just know it!" he thundered as his face clouded. "This spells trouble for us, unless we can take pre-emptive action."

"Will you be alright?" Kagome asked anxiously as she shrank back from him a bit.

Inuyasha noticed and gentled his tone. "I'll manage," he replied, pulling her into a hug and attempting to reassure her. "Your sexual jealousy won't cost me my career, don't worry," he winked, causing her to blush and smack him with another pillow.

Lady Taishou was already seated at the breakfast table when the couple came down. Inuyasha suspected that Myouga must have mentioned something about the cozy scene upstairs, because despite the seriousness of the situation there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"How went your night, Kagome dear?" she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Kagome blushed to the roots of her hair as she looked at Inuyasha for help. She was looking quite cute in her state of embarrassment, so the latter decided not to help her.

"Go ahead, answer her," he urged with a poker-straight face.

"Yes, we're waiting – especially since the glow on Inuyasha's face clearly tells about _his_," the Lady concluded.

It was Inuyasha's turn to blush. Kagome mouthed the word "Touché" before she sat down on her chair.

Pleasantries had to be cut short owing to the pressing urgency of the situation, and after pecking at his pancakes for a moment, Inuyasha asked Myouga to convene a meeting of the Party. "Find out who could be in on Ryuukossei's plan, and secure them. Threaten their spouse or family but _no actual violence_," he warned.

"Lord Taishou is on his way back-" Myouga started to say.

"Let him. We can't sit on our asses waiting for him to take charge."

Myouga bowed his head as he rose from the table and hurried out to make a few phone calls. Inuyasha also rose from his seat, and called a contact in the media. Leaders from his Party were already filing into the office. Finishing the call, he gave the nervous Kagome a reassuring smile then went in and began his briefing. Lady Taishou joined them after a while. About an hour later, Myouga came rushing in with a strange sparkle in his eyes. He had a hurried discussion with Inuyasha and went out again. Soon afterwards, a call came for Inuyasha. He spoke briefly and then put down the phone with a satisfied smile. There was a commotion in the hallway and Sesshoumaru marched in with Myouga on his heels trying to brief him. But the lord ignored him as he drew all attention to himself and his commanding presence.

"We need to apprehend the men behind the attack as soon as possible, and then extort a full confession out of them," Lord Taishou opined.

"Already on it," Inuyasha said, "there is a middle order leader in Ryuukossei's party. Name's Mukotsu. He's reported to be in on the whole conspiracy."

"We can't possibly kidnap a leader. Ryuukossei likely has him under his protection already. Any attempt to abduct him will get reported in the media faster than you can Keh." Sesshoumaru stared at him, his look seeming to ask 'Just how stupid are you?'

"Obviously," Inuyasha replied, slightly annoyed that his brother would think him to be that stupid, "but his lover doesn't enjoy a similar protection. Jakotsu works in the docks. Right now our men have him under surveillance. As soon as we showed the footage, Mukotsu himself promised to haul his sorry ass into this house," he looked at his watch, "any time now."

Inuyasha noted with a hint of amusement that his brother was casting an appreciative glance at him. _'Did the fool really think that I have no brains at all,'_ he wondered. _'Does he think I'm just the Party head only in name?'_

There was no time for prolonged reflection, though, as Jaken was showing a small, mousy looking person inside the room, whom Inuyasha identified as Mukotsu. He seemed to shrink and shudder as Inuyasha came forward to greet him.

"Please take a seat, Mukotsu-sama," he ushered him in cheerfully – for he knew that a smile could be just as deadly as a gun. "We have something important to talk about."

"I-I don't know anything about anything," Mukotsu pleaded, "I'm just a low level worker, I'm not privy to confidential information."

"Oh come on," Inuyasha smiled again and happily noted that Mukotsu was even more upset, "don't insult my intelligence. I know perfectly well what you have or have not been privy to. _Sit_." He spoke the last word more firmly. He was giving a performance and he knew he could not screw it up. Especially since intimidation was all he had – he could never resort to physical violence. Mukotsu plopped down on a chair and tried to smile. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"I'm telling you, you are making a mistake here."

"I think not. Have a glass of water."

Mukotsu grabbed the glass like he was grabbing onto a lifeline. Gulping down the water, he looked around, nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

"Now if you'll be so kind as to tell us, it was Naraku who was behind the aborigine killings, wasn't he?" Inuyasha tried to keep his voice dangerously low – almost to a purr. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sesshoumaru look at him with eyes full of intense curiosity. _'Good,'_ he thought. _'Watch and learn.'_

Mukotsu nervously licked his lips as he looked for an exit. But there was none. Lady Taishou was smiling kindly from her chair. Sesshoumaru was standing near the door, impassive as ever. Inuyasha was inches away from his face.

"I really have no clue. Why are you t-torturing me like this?" the man squeaked.

"The truth will out, Mukotsu-sama, the truth will out. Why not be the vessel for it and buy our allegiance forever?" Inuyasha hid a smirk as the small man flinched and shifted uneasily at his continued use of the honorific. _'Good,' _he thought, '_the more uncomfortable he is, the easier it is to make him talk._' He casually put a hand on Mukotsu's shoulder. The latter flinched at the touch, and then sagged in resignation.

"Only if you promise to protect me and Jakotsu from Ryuukossei."

"We promise." _'This was too easy,'_ Inuyasha thought quickly. _'Ryuukossei could not be such a fool as to send you here to turn into our weapon.'_ Still, he would not play as dirty as Ryuukossei did. After Mukotsu gave him the desired confession, he would do all in his power to give asylum to the man.

Mukotsu took a calming breath. "N-Naraku is planning to use Kouga against you-"

"Not like this."

Inuyasha hauled Mukotsu across the room and seated him behind a table. At Sesshoumaru's signal, Inuyasha's contact in the media entered the room with a microphone and a camera. Mukotsu blanched at the sight of them.

"Not on camera, no," he whispered hoarsely.

"There is nothing to be afraid of," Inuyasha assured, he could not risk Mukotsu getting too scared and upsetting the whole plan. "Just make a clean breast of things and off you go. You see, we are a very truth-loving family."

"Inuyasha-sama, please…"

"Now."

The cameras were switched on.

A short while and a fully videotaped confession later, Mukotsu was toddling his way out of the mansion. Sesshoumaru saw him out. From a distance, Inuyasha saw him push a phone into Mukotsu's hand. _'What new bit of devilry is he planning now,'_ he idly wondered as he made his way to the parlour.

His mood immediately brightened upon seeing his wife, all thoughts and suspicions forgotten. Inuyasha dropped on to the couch beside Kagome and put his arm around her. She leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he simply let her presence soothe him. Upon opening his eyes, he noted with a hint of amusement that Sesshoumaru had followed him into the room, similarly putting his arm around Rin, and was nuzzling behind her ear and nibbling at her earlobe. He was quite intrigued when he detected a dark challenge in his brother's eyes, as if he was deliberately trying to provoke him. He traced his brother's gaze and corrected his assumption. He was trying to provoke Kagome. _'Uh-oh,'_ Inuyasha thought. _'Somehow he has got wind that our equation has changed.' _

Sesshoumaru's look deepened into a more sinister gaze as he ran his hand down Rin's arm. Inuyasha felt sorry for the innocent girl, who knew nothing of the drama that was going on behind the scenes. He was curious as to how Kagome would react to the dare, although so far she hadn't reacted at all. _'Has she really gotten over Sesshoumaru,'_ he idly wondered.

There was a buzzing on the table. Sesshoumaru's phone was ringing. He picked it up with a guarded expression and then he placed the phone back upon the table without saying a word. Inuyasha looked at him curiously, but quickly turned away when he started tickling Rin's neck with a finger. His behaviour seemed increasingly odd to Inuyasha. Kagome looked up at him. She was visibly uncomfortable. Sesshoumaru was sniffing at Rin's hair now, almost angrily, provokingly, daring Kagome to match his passion. Inuyasha straightened.

"I think the newlyweds need some time alone," he said airily. "C'mon, Kagome, let's not disturb the lovebirds."

Kagome got up after him, and followed him out of the room. Inuyasha noticed her breathe out a sigh of relief once she had escaped Sesshoumaru's presence. _Strange are the affairs of the heart,_ he thought with a smile.

The day had been hectic; he was developing a slight headache after all the excitement. Instead of going up to his bedroom, he headed for his favourite spot on the estate. Kagome came with him, and he was grateful for her company after the madness of the day. He sat down upon the knoll, after spreading out his coat for her. Neither spoke a word – there was no need for words, just a silent wave of comfort and understanding passed back and forth between them. The moon had not yet risen that night – only a million stars twinkled like lights from fishing boats wandering in the vast ocean of the sky. Resting his head upon his knees, Inuyasha rubbed his throbbing temples. But Kagome's cool hands gently stopped him. Tugging at his locks, she pulled him towards her, drawing his face to hers as she laid a soft and lingering kiss upon his lips. His tension started to abandon him at that one touch and exhaustion threatened to conquer him. With a sigh, he lay down upon the grass, allowing Kagome to draw his head into her lap, her fingers dancing nimbly across his brow and his closed eyelids, draining out his remaining stress. After a while he felt himself smiling as he breathed in her scent.

"You know, Kagome," he slurred sleepily. "You smell nice."


	12. A Man of Principles

A Man of Principles

"Inuyasha!" Kikyou shouted; there was a pistol in her hand, which she was pointing at him.

"K-Kikyou!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "What are you doing?" _What was wrong with her?_

"Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?" Kikyou shouted again, her face contorted with rage.

"N-no Kikyou," Inuyasha yelled back, "I didn't betray you! It was Naraku – he's the one who has brainwashed you against me!"

"You're lying!" she raised the pistol; her face was oddly mobile – it was blending into and out of another face he had seen somewhere, outside an orphanage a long time ago. Kouga! He remembered the name. Kikyou laughed. "Die, Inuyasha!"

She pressed the trigger.

Inuyasha fell to the ground as the bullet hit him square in his chest; but strangely, he felt no pain. The world seemed to be moving around him in a slow motion. He was paralyzed, unable to move. Blood was gushing out of his body and on to the pavement. A black miasma was smothering him, strangulating him; a curtain was coming down upon his senses. But something made him fight for his life, claw his way out of the hypnotic sleep that he was succumbing to. Someone was in mortal danger. He could not abandon her. She was fighting off an unknown assassin.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha woke up with a start. His lips were parched; beads of sweat had formed upon his forehead. His wife was anxiously peering down into his face, his head still cushioned on her lap. Sitting bolt upright upon the grass, he frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for the danger he had sensed. A sliver of a moon had risen in the sky, casting a deadened, yellowish glow. A slight breeze was blowing. All was peaceful, all was calm.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked anxiously.

"N-nothing, just a bad dream," Inuyasha replied, shaking his head. His heart was still hammering. '_Was it really a nightmare? It seemed so real – almost like a __movie.__'_ He shook his head again. '_Kikyou would never do that to me. I'm being paranoid without any reason.'_

"I'm sorry you're suffering so much because of my mistake," Kagome said forlornly. _If only she had informed him sooner._

"It's okay, it's been taken care of," Inuyasha said a little thoughtlessly. His thoughts were still stuck on his weird dream.

Kagome bit her lip. "That man who came to visit today – I haven't seen him before. Who was he?"

Inuyasha looked at her inquisitively. "Just an acquaintance. Why do you ask?"

"Something about him gives me the creeps," she shivered slightly. "I don't think he came with good intentions. Inuyasha, how much trouble are you _really_ in because of my stupidity?"

"I told you not to worry about it," Inuyasha said, his tone harsher than he meant. "You won't have to see that man again, so just chill."

The girl silently nodded her head. Seeing her looking pale and shaken, he felt a little guilty for his off-hand replies.In all probabilities, he was upsetting her over nothing. Taking a deep, calming breath, he grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry, there's a lot going on in my mind right now. And on top of that I fell asleep on you!"

Kagome gave him a small smile. "It's okay, you probably needed that. It has been one hell of a day." A slight blush crept into her cheek, barely noticeable in the sickly moonlight. "Besides, I liked watching you sleep."

It was half-dark, clouds flitting over the moon and obscuring the little light it provided, so Kagome did not notice the smile that appeared on her husband's lips at these words. _'After all those nights I've spent watching you sleep…' _But before he could complete the thought his stomach growled, hungry for food. Kagome giggled.

"Let's go inside and have dinner." She pulled at his sleeve.

"Yeah, it's quite late," he looked at his watch whose hands were pointing to eleven, "They've probably even finished by now."

Brushing the twigs off his coat, Inuyasha took Kagome's hand in his and made his way back through the grove of eucalyptus. He couldn't suppress the smile that formed on his face as she trusted him to lead her down the barely visible path, the way she simply held his hand and let him guide her from memory. Things were finally looking up for him.

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, they were passing through the dimly-lit hallway towards the dining room, when they noticed the lights were on in the parlour – somebody was watching the television. Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other, mystified. _Who could be watching the television so late?_ They entered into the room to see Lady Taishou sitting in her couch. To Inuyasha's immense surprise, Mukotsu's face was upon the screen.

He took a step forward, leaving a stunned Kagome behind. There was a blast – his car was blown to pieces – his lover was murdered on the dock – this followed closely in the heels of his betrayal of Ryuukossei's Party – Ryuukossei had denied his involvement in the matter. _What the hell was going on?_ He had promised to protect Mukotsu but he hadn't anticipated Ryuukossei to be acting so soon. He looked at Lady Taishou, who returned his bemused gaze.

"Where is Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha inquired.

"In bed. He had asked not to be disturbed tonight." Lady Taishou replied.

_Tonight of all nights_, Inuyasha thought irritably. _Unless-_

A scene floated in front of his eyes. _Sesshoumaru escorting Mukotsu out of the house, talking to him, shoving a phone into his hands…_The scene dissolved but another took its place. _A phone vibrating, Sesshoumaru picking it up, and then putting it down, the expression upon his face_…he had seen that expression many years ago, when his brother was still a student leader. There had been some nasty business with an opposition leader. Of course, it could never be traced back to Lord Taishou. He had enough clout to cover his tracks.

Something exploded inside Inuyasha's head. While it was true that Mukotsu only wanted protection from Ryuukossei, the fact remained that Inuyasha had not been allowed to keep his word in the spirit in which it was given. This was the second time during the campaign when Sesshoumaru had slighted him – basically, discarded him as no more than just a titular head of the Party. But at that moment he was not even concerned about that.

No, what riled him, enraged him, was the fact that his Party, his _father's Party_ had started doing what his father had hated the most, had given his _life_ fighting against. Corruption, lies, deceit, violence, murder – he hated the words with the very core of his being. And now he was in the middle of them – his hands practically dyed with them.

_Somebody has to pay._

He did not notice when he had left the parlour, climbed the stairs and banged open the door to his brother's bedroom. His first realization was coming face to face with the object of his hatred.

"What the hell did you do to Mukotsu?" he thundered.

Sesshoumaru got out of bed, looking maddeningly, infuriatingly calm. A part of Inuyasha's mind pointed out that he was probably expecting the outburst.

"How dare you come inside my room without knocking?"

Inuyasha chose not to answer. This was not the time to follow etiquettes anyway. It was too late for that.

"I promised to protect him! I gave him my word!" he yelled instead.

"Your word has no value without the backing of your clan."

Again Inuyasha let the barb slide. His pride and ego were secondary here. A man had lost his life.

"You had no right to kill him!"

"I'm not answerable to you."

Inuyasha could not believe his own ears. Would his brother not show even the slightest _remorse_ after mercilessly erasing not one but two lives from the earth? What gave Sesshoumaru the right to play God?

"Like hell you're not!"

Rationality was eclipsed by rage. The whole scene looked like a nightmare to Inuyasha. He did not even know when he had grabbed Sesshoumaru's sleeve and when Sesshoumaru had lashed out, throwing him against the dresser where he slid to the ground. It was when Kagome ran into the room that memory returned to him. Anger still overrode everything else, but he was aware of what was happening now, with Kagome leaning over him worriedly. She had evidently been following him. She leaned over him protectively, her face grave with concern. Her touch was as soothing as a gentle breeze.

"You are nothing but a mere face of the campaign," Sesshoumaru was ranting. "Your job is to look pretty and attract the crowds. Don't try to be the brains behind the organization."

Inuyasha stood up, wiping blood from his lips. Goaded as he was, he would not let Sesshoumaru deviate from the main issue and start a battle of egos.

"You gave the man your word and reneged on it! What difference is there between you and Ryuukossei? This is not how Oyaji wanted to run this country – by violence and terror. He wanted fair elections-"

"I don't want to hear about Father from someone who isn't even worthy to mention his name."

Inuyasha frowned. This time Sesshoumaru had hit below the belt.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kagome was clutching Inuyasha's arm, trying to prevent him from doing something stupid. He glanced back at her briefly. _Was she taking Sesshoumaru's side? Choosing him? _Her worried gaze met his and all he saw was concern. He brushed the thoughts aside as Sesshoumaru began to speak once more, his words only further inflaming his temper.

"You are the vile product of an unholy union between my father and a common whore! A whore who was in the service of Ryuukossei before she could latch her tentacles into my father. It was because of her that father was killed, that Ryuukossei has been persecuting us for twenty-five years. You and your mother are the reasons why my life was ruined!"

A part of Inuyasha was wondering why he was even listening to his brother. The right thing to do would be to take a cudgel to his head and smash his brains. But another part, the part that had idolized his older brother growing up, wondered if there was any truth to what he was saying. _Why would Sesshoumaru lie to him?_ He might be cold or imposing or even authoritarian, but the fact remained that he loved Inuyasha. He was always protective of his little brother – perhaps overly so. _'No matter,'_ the son's voice subdued the brother's, _'No matter how much he loves me, he will _not_ stand and insult mother!'_

"Don't you dare insult my mother!"

Again Inuyasha launched himself at Sesshoumaru. Again Sesshoumaru shoved him off. Kagome caught him, keeping him from hitting the wall.

"Your mother was a whore and so is your wife. One man doesn't suffice for her…or shall we say, you are not man enough for her?" Sesshoumaru hissed again, spitefully.

Inuyasha saw red. _How dare he cast aspersions at Kagome's character? When he himself had treated her so shamefully, was treating Rin so shamefully now!_ His eyes went to the livid bite marks on Rin's exposed arms and neck. _Has he become an animal?_

"Shut your mouth and leave Kagome out of this!"

Sesshoumaru snorted derisively. "Oh yeah? Why don't you have a chat with her about the antics she's up to while you are away?"

_Too far!_ Kagome's gasp and the way she stiffened against his back only added to the rage he felt as the words left Sesshoumaru's mouth and penetrated his brain. Red clouded his vision once more, his only thought being whether he should just use his fist to smash his brother's face in or bring his pistol from his room and blow his brains out. His face twisted, a snarl escaping his throat as his hands clenched at his sides. Using his fists was sounding better and better.

"_Stop it!"_

All eyes went to the door. Lady Taishou was standing there, white and shaken.

"For shame, Sesshoumaru! Is that the way to speak about your stepmother? Your sister-in-law? Is that the education I've imparted to you?"

"Stay out of this, Mother."

"Apologize to your brother _right now_. And to Kagome."

Sesshoumaru just stood silently, his face a mask of ice once again.

"Don't put me to shame for being your mother, Sesshoumaru," Lady Taishou almost pleaded.

Inuyasha snorted. He knew his brother was too far-gone to care about family or morality or even decency. It was as if the brother he had grown up with had suddenly been possessed by a ruthless demon. Still shaking with hurt and anger, he dusted his robe off and strode out of the room, brushing past Lady Taishou without a word.


End file.
